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Nukes may shorten an otherwise prolonged war. "Better off" is obviously very subjective, but I don't see how nukes aren't better off if they end up saving lives. Let's also consider all the direct wars avoided in the last ~75 years, an outcome of nuclear MAD.

The reality of our situation if that we will keep fighting each other, that's a given. Best to test our nukes to make sure they work. Nukes that won't work can't save lives.

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MAD is indeed an equilibrium. But it is an unstable one. That is the problem. So far the US-USSR/Russia detante has worked, but it might not work in other situations. India and Pakistan are a case in point. They have fought at least two limited conflicts (the most recent one being last year,) despite being declared nuclear weapons powers. The possibility of catastrophic miscalculation in the fog of war is very, very real.

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