“As long as any state has nuclear weapons, there will be others, state or sub-state actors, who will seek to acquire them.”
— Canberra Commission final report, August 1996, p. 58.
“So long as any state has such weapons – especially nuclear arms – others will want them. So long as any such weapons remain in any state’s arsenal, there is a high risk that they will one day be used, by design or accident. Any such use would be catastrophic.”
— Weapons of Terror, Final Report of the WMD (Blix) Commission, Synopsis, June 2006.
“As long as others have nuclear weapons, we must maintain some level of these weapons ourselves.”
— Statement by US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Carnegie Endowment, 28 October 2008.
“Make no mistake: As long as these weapons exist, the United States will maintain a safe, secure and effective arsenal to deter any adversary, and guarantee that defense to our allies — including the Czech Republic.”
— Statement by US President Barack Obama, Prague, 5 April 2009.
“So long as any state has nuclear weapons, others will want them. So long as any such weapons remain, it defies credibility that they will not one day be used, by accident, miscalculation or design. And any such use would be catastrophic. It is sheer luck that the world has escaped such catastrophe until now.”
— Report of the International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, Synopsis, December 2009.