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Why have nuclear weapons not been used in warfare since the bombing of Nagasaki?

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U.S. hydrogen bomb test in the Marshall Islands — nuclear weapon A test of a U.S. thermonuclear weapon (hydrogen bomb) at Enewetak atoll in the Marshall Islands, November 1, 1952.

Nuclear weapons have not been used in warfare since the 1945 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki primarily due to the development of nuclear deterrence and the doctrine of mutual assured destruction (MAD).123

This strategy is founded on the principle that a nuclear attack by one state would trigger an overwhelming nuclear counterattack, resulting in the annihilation of both the attacker and the defender. During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union built massive nuclear arsenals, and the realization that neither side could survive a full-scale exchange served as a powerful deterrent against initiating conflict.124

Additionally, the international community has established norms and agreements to prevent the use and spread of these weapons, most notably the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. While the possession of nuclear arms is often viewed by states as a way to guarantee national security, there remains a widespread global abhorrence toward their use, and the catastrophic potential of these weapons continues to drive efforts toward disarmament and arms control.52164