The nuclear deterrence

 Following the slapping of sanctions on multiple Chinese companies for violating missile technology control regimes, China has accused the US of double standards in nuclear proliferation. 

The US has approved a new nuclear policy that aims at expanding its nuclear arsenal to cater to the growing nuclear arsenals of China and North Korea. 

Driving the US policy is the fear of coordinated nuclear strikes by China, North Korea and Russia. 

Moreover, the US stands accused of heavily investing in building miniature tactical nukes for use on the battlefield, sparking proliferation concerns. 

Pakistan, it may be recalled, only tested tactical nuclear devices when it conducted nuclear tests in May, 1998, and has borne the brunt of the pressure of accusations its weapons are battle-ready, for use in an active war with India. 

North Korea, too, has announced breakthroughs in centrifuge technology and has set its sights on an exponentially expanded nuclear arsenal. 

For its part, Russia has also been calling for a revamping of its nuclear doctrine, which, it contents, is rooted in a now obsolete past. 

With war raging in Ukraine and active NATO support for the war against Russia supplying it with sophisticated weapon systems, the Russians are fast coming to the conclusion that their nuclear deterrence is defunct. 

With Russian cities and it's armed forces now in the crosshairs, Russia is realizing that it's outdated military and nuclear policy has only emboldened the West to flout and flaunt its conventional superiority, engaging Russia in a "war of annihilation". 

Therefore, there are growing calls within Russia to strengthen its nuclear deterrence and to overhaul their own nuclear doctrine to better manage the conventional-strategic mismatch and parity. 

Ironically, it was the Indian nuclear tests of 1998 that thrust the entire region into an arms race, propelling not just Pakistan. Still, China and North Korea to develop and expand their nuclear arsenals. 

This has allowed for multiple nuclear-armed countries in Russia's backyard, which in turn has stripped it of both its conventional and nuclear preeminence in the world order.