Deterrence has been part of human conflict and its prevention for centuries. But nuclear weapons gave it a unique, if apocalyptic, dimension of deterrence through mutually assured destruction, aptly called MAD. Thus, while deterrence was pursued through the threat of causing grievous hurt, vying with annihilation, diplomacy sought to construct a framework where the powerful sought to retain their advantage while pressing for reducing that of the adversary or completely denying it to others. And this came to be termed non-proliferation, keeping its vertical dimension outside any questioning. Meanwhile, nuclear deterrence has been undergoing changes due to the increasing vulnerability of states and society in a globalising and increasingly interdependent world. Recognising the fundamentally political nature of the role of nuclear weapons, China and India evolved an approach to nuclear deterrence quite different from that adopted by others. And they seem to have succeeded equally well so far, with unquestionably lower costs and risks.