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Nuclear weapon use in a local conflict would be similar to someone unleashing a new coronavirus to win a local conflict. Due to its polluting non-local effects, it instantly paints a target on whoever uses it. This is also why "anonymous" terrorist nuclear bomb use would be very problematic.

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> polluting non-local effects

I agree that these exist.

I do not believe that they are as significant as the general public believes. After all, there have been more than 500 nuclear weapons detonated world-wide in the open atmosphere. [0]

If these non-local effects are very large, why would we take Russia's threats of using nuclear weapons against a neighbor as credible?

[0]: https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/nucleartesttally

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