In spite of their awesome destructive power, nuclear weapons have very limited utility for offensive purposes, because:
- You can’t use them in a civil war, because they would kill too many of your supporters.
- You can’t use them against non-state actors, because the collateral damage to innocent parties would be too great.
- You can’t use them against a country with a second strike capability, due to the obvious risk of retaliation.
- You can’t use them in an imperialist war, because there would be no point in destroying the land you want to exploit.
- You don’t need to use them in a war against a country with a feeble conventional force.
And so, you can only imagine launching a nuclear first strike against a hostile country with a strong conventional army, but no second strike capability.
Can you say “North Korea?”
Thus far, a nuclear attack on North Korea has not been suggested in public. In light of the paucity of decent options, and Trump’s desperate need to be seen as a winner, I expect that to change in the near future.