The South Africans decided that they would like to prove to the world they did not have any nuclear weapons and their decision was not doubted because it was the end of the Cold War, it was also the end of apartheid.

The lesson of the Cold War is that against nuclear weapons, only nuclear weapons can hold the peace.

The inspections started in 1991, right after the Gulf War. One of the conditions for the ceasefire was that Iraq had to do away with all of its weapons of mass destruction - biological, chemical and nuclear weapons and long-range missiles.

The only thing that kept the Cold War cold was the mutual deterrence afforded by nuclear weapons.

If ever there was an unnecessary weapon after the Cold War, it's nuclear weapons. We have nuclear capability to burn. This is a situation where the broader policy issues are more important than the job loss.

We won the Cold War because we showed nuclear vigilance and diligence.