Don't Hit the Big Red Button

Why didn't America and the Soviet Union destroy each other? In part, the answer may have simply been that the Cold War ended early enough. Having lots and lots of nukes sitting around means that probabilistically, there is a strong likelihood they will be used eventually. The other primary reason, however, is that ultimately conscience and self-preservation prevailed over ideology and fear. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, for example, Russia chose not to challenge the American naval blockade of Cuba to test their seriousness. The escalating spiral of pressure and counter-pressure eventually came to a halt when one party finally decided the stakes involved were two great. The two rival superpowers can be considered as the parties in the famous Prisoners' Dilemma, except in this case the cost of betrayal became persuasive enough for one of the parties to eventually cooperate with the other.