In the past, the spectre of nuclear confrontation was shrouded in cold calculation, guarded words, and painstaking diplomacy. Today, it can be triggered, at least rhetorically, by a social media post. The recent online spat between former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and US President Donald Trump underscores how profoundly the norms around nuclear discourse have shifted in the digital age.

Mr Trump’s declaration that he ordered two nuclear submarines to move closer to Russia in response to Mr Medvedev’s online remarks is emblematic of this transformation. Once the preserve of backchannel communication and strategic ambiguity, nuclear posturing is now being carried out on public platforms, often in real time, and for audiences far wider than diplomats and defence analysts. The line between performance and policy has never been more blurred. Such episodes show how national security signals are no longer........

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