MAD came extremely close to kicking off at least twice during the Cold War (Cuban Missile Crisis and that time a Soviet officer chose to ignore a malfunctioning early warning system). We can’t conclude from the fact that it didn’t kill us that it wasn’t a serious possibility.
Maybe in two or three decades we’ll discover that Russia was nearer to using nukes than we assume.
Maybe in two or three decades we’ll discover that Russia was nearer to using nukes than we assume.