Nukes...They're Back

India's surprise nuclear tests shake a sense of security and could spark a new arms race

Nuclear crises don't usually come as complete surprises. Nations hungry to acquire the power of mass death will steal and cheat and lie to achieve their ambition, but millions are spent on high-tech spying to divine the telltale signs well before any nuclear adventurism occurs. Not this time. Before firing off five nuclear explosions last week, India deliberately concealed its specific test plans and misled the rest of the world. But no one was paying attention anyway, even when the signs of India's intentions were there to be read. The shock runs up our spine because it happened when the age...

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