Beginning during the Cold War, many states were strategically empowered by nuclear proliferation; they remain threats to world security today. Due to spies within the American nuclear program, the USSR gained nuclear capability only a few years after the US. This newfound power on both sides made the Cold War much more personal through sheer fear of total death. The populations’ personal feelings about the Cold War caused it to intensify and thus led to relative mass production of atomic weapons which caused the conflict to intensify further. These stockpiles matter today because they exist today. A strong likelihood that Soviet Warheads are in private arsenals or on the black market exists. Said loose Russian warheads are main source of fear for nuclear terrorism which is the use of nuclear weapons is terrorism. It is also worth noting rapidly deteriorating Russian­American relations. A particularly scary example of nuclear proliferation is the Soviet­backed Indian program against the American­backed Pakistani program. These are two countries with massive population and global potential; they are also split by opposing ethno­religious, territorial, and economic goals. India and Pakistan can also destroy each other. North Korea and Iran are also developing nuclear weapons and have met incredible resistance from NATO and the UN because of their totalitarian governments. North Korea also has dabbled in black market trading and labor and military exchanges with the Russian Federation (CIA). However, many point to the fact that nuclear power could give clean electricity to many. Developed as a deterrent against Arab invasion and weak foreign perception, Israel’s stash is nearly constantly poised to be pitted against Iran. In East Asia, China has become superpower with nuclear capability, and it could potentially enter into a Cold War­esque standoff with the United States (CFR).