Nukes could be extremely useful in powering spacecraft, Pluto would be less than a year round trip. If the arsenals are to be reduced the nukes should be used for a Project Orion. Even without that, Nukes are useful in that they could potentially deflect asteroids.
Aggression and Competitiveness certainly have their place in a Capitalist society. The important thing is to direct such behavioral tendencies into business instead of into war or politics.
I first attempted to post this in 2009, but bounced off the karma wall. Since then, MY forgetfulness and procrastination have been its nemesis.
I invite you to listen (read) in an unusual way. "Consider it": think WITH this idea for a while. There will be plenty of time to refute it later. I find that, if I START with, "That's so wrong!", I really weaken my ability to "pan for the gold".
Remember the Swamp!
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/when_you're_up_to_your_neck_in_alligators,_it's_easy_to_forget_that_the_initial_objective_was_to_drain_the_swamp
I looked over the tag cloud and didn't see:
Admittedly, searching on war did provide a few results.
I invite you all to let this concern guide your posts: humanity is on a path toward multiple futures, and way too many (IMHO) of them include our extinction or the destruction of our civilization. Not many people even think about it. We have become so numb to the nuclear fear that was so palpable in the 1950s - early 1960s. When I talk to people about it, they remember, and most agree thet the huge nuclear arsenals are a really bad idea. But, it's not present in their daily thought.
Think big and think far.
Think about how we can have the great mass of people, not just a few rationalists, become Less Wrong about what is important.
Thanks for your Consideration.