[cosmicgadget]

There are plenty of countries that have maintained their sovereignty without nukes.

[arresin]

…by relying on the power projected by the ones with them.

[cosmicgadget]

By relying on the conventional power of countries that happen to be nuclearized. We wouldn't have nuked Iraq in defense of Kuwait.

Then there's, say, Argentina or Sweden who are neither nuclearized nor occupied on your counterfactual timeline.

[dontlaugh]

.