"having the world taken over by a ruthless Empire that has invaded an occupied dozens of nations, and actively overthrowing states to install vassal dictators?"

Wait, isn't this still happening or are you referring to the Soviet Union?

But his point, modern warfare saving us from the unfathomable horrors of the World Wars, is well worth even the true cost of the fallout from the nuclear testing.

If we're considering the potential cost of wars that didn't happen, we also need to consider the possibility for the Cold War to have escalated into nuclear Armageddon.

Quite certainly true. The ultimate and most insane gamble... which appears to have paid off, for now?