So we can only reach stalemate once a country has nukes and otherwise have to start blowing up their schools?

According to postwar foreign policy clearly that’s true:

Look at Libya and Ukraine for your most direct examples - give away your nukes, get invaded. South Africa is an odd example that proves the rule: they simply bend the knee to the west.

Nuclear deterrents and mutual assured destruction has been the key driver in preventing large scale conflict in the “postwar period.”

Everyone knows Israel has nukes it’s just a matter of when they can get enough public support to use them

	▲	cameronh90 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Mutually assured destruction does seem to deter conflict, but even assuming it works, it always seemed like a poor tradeoff to me. Significantly reduce the frequency of small to medium-scale conflicts, in exchange for an inevitable, possibly apocalyptic nuclear conflict at some point. Maybe not this year, maybe not for centuries, but one day, someone will press the button.