Mutually Assured Destruction

In the last minutes of the movie Wargames, a supercomputer takes control of the launch capabilities of Norad in a simulation of a nuclear strike against the US. To make the computer learn of the potential outcomes, they created another simulation of the game: tic-tac-toe. The supercomputer would learn that the game when played correctly from both sides, would never result in a winner. This is a similar outcome to when the supercomputer runs the scenarios of global nuclear war; no single country benefits from participating. So, it concludes "The only winning move is not to play."

M.A.D.:It is based on the theory of deterrence according to which the deployment of strong weapons is essential to threaten the enemy in order to prevent the use of the very same weapons. The strategy is effectively a form of Nash equilibrium, in which both sides are attempting to avoid their worst possible outcome, in this case, nuclear annihilation.

However, what would happen if a nation or group of people benefited from global nuclear war?

What a person believes happens after death determines his view of it-and, therefore, his ethics.-The End of Faith, Pg 157

I think the answer is obvious. When someone values the afterlife more than this life and they believe that their ticket to heaven is through a holy war, then this particular type of ideology is particularly dangerous to the rest of us. Add nuclear technology to the equation and the result could be radioactive. The only question that should come to mind next is, "How do we stop that from happening?"