New Delhi, June 16 -- The latest SIPRI assessment underscores a sobering reality that nuclear weapons remain central to global security calculations. In an increasingly volatile geopolitical climate, their role as deterrents appears more entrenched than ever.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute's latest report offers a stark reminder that while the Cold War may have ended, the nuclear age has not receded into history. Instead, it has entered a more complex and arguably more dangerous phase. The global inventory of nuclear warheads, estimated at roughly 12,000 to 13,000, remains concentrated among a handful of major powers, with the United States and Russia accounting for nearly ninety percent of the total. Both nations c...