Countries like North Korea and Iran get attention and respect by developing nuclear weapons, with no downside. The US should change its policy to commit to not use nuclear weapons against any country that does not have them, while asserting the right to preemptively use them against any nuclear capable country it deems hostile and irresponsible, which today would include only North Korea and Iran. Furthermore it should hold the source country responsible for nuclear proliferation to any non-state actors as though that country had attacked the US themselves (such as Al-Qaida or Hezbollah getting nuclear technology from Iran).



