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it will mean religious fanatics in either America, some other region, or both, got their hands on nukes

Haven't they already?

Where to start... okay. We'll start with the debt. China hold's a smallish fraction of the U.S. debt. Here is the list and the sources.
Taiwan $126.9 Billion (not China though the Chinese like to think so)
Hong Kong $151.8 (China-ish you could argue either way but I'll get back to that)
Caribbean Banking Centers $153.2 Billion
Brazil $164.3 Billion
Depository Institutions $206.6 Billion (these are commercial banks etc.)
Insurance Companies $235.7 Billion
Oil Exporting Nations $239.3 Billion (China is not an exporter of oil)
United Kingdom $321.2 Billion
Pension Funds $513.1 Billion
State & Local Governments $531.3 Billion
Mutual Funds $663.9 Billion
Japan $795.5 Billion
China $900.2 Billion
Other $1.193 Trillion (these are bank trusts, corporate business, estates etc)
Federal Reserve Intergovernmental Holdings $5.259 Trillion (This is the federal reserve itself)
Source Here

Okay... so now you know. China, even if you can include Hong Kong (which I say you really shouldn't but whatever) doesn't own anywhere near a majority of U.S. Debt.

Now on to nukes. Read THIS in order to get a better understanding. The opinions you have appear to have no basis in fact or reality.

Holy shit some morons modded this cretin informative... FYI to completely wipe out NYC AND suburbs you only need half a dozen of sub 300kt devices airbursted at right altitude.

I suggest for all ignoramuses to go read http://www.wagingpeace.org/articles/2005/11/00_starr_effects-of-300-kiloton-detonation.htm

250 MT warheads? What delusional fool. Every major city one each is targeted with dozens warheads plus all the military installtion, power generation facilites and such. Not everthing will be in fireball - true , some country quacks like OP will still be alive for a bit -that is until the radioactive fallout covers all of their land and their only options would be to sit in shelter and slowly die.

I am pretty sure someone will survive though.

Last I checked, Ericsson was a Swedish company (which, according to the article was the provider of the equipment). Also, one of the phones that was tapped was a US Embassy phone. Maybe the Swedes were spying on the Greeks--we should not forget that Sweden was an aspiring nuclear power (or read this). Maybe they want to become a superpower...

You seem to have forgotten that countries can withdraw from the treaty with 3 months notice, as North Korea did. Signing it isn't an unchangeable commitment.

I am completely against the current war on Iraq. To my mind, by attacking Iraq without there being any hint of aggression against America, and without a shred of evidence to support it's claim that Saddam Hussein is constructing weapons of mass destruction, I think the US has violated any claim they may have had about this being a "just" war. see Jimmy Carter's opinion on what constitutes a just war.

I am not arguing against those who claim that Saddam Hussein is a "bad" man. But there are lots of despotic rulers in the world, and I think the current US policy of pre-emption is morally wrong, and sets a very dangerous precedent. The US is encouraging other despotic regimes to acquire nuclear capabilities in order to fend off a US preemptive strike, and guaranteeing that terrorism will be the only perceived way to fight superior US firepower.
The US has shown clear contempt for other countries in the world, by rejecting the Kyoto protocol accords, by subverting the International Criminal Court, and by acting unilaterally against Iraq. The US has vetoed UN resolutions against Israel 41 times (putting in doubt President Bush's claim that he wants to restore the land to the Iraqi people).
I don't believe this war is legal, although I doubt anyone will be prosecuted.
The world is extremely skeptical about this essentially unilateral war.

Historians have found that the last invasion of the U.S. was in 1812, and except for an unsucsessful attack against Pearl Harbor, none have been attempted since. Nevertheless, fear mongering of such invasions have allowed the U.S. military to grow beyond reason against the best advice, taxing the freedoms of the Constitution away from citizens. The Department of Defense hopes that these facts will become unknown, and is covertly working toward that goal, months after renouncing it. Such military propaganda artists have long confounded peace- and freedom-loving citizens, although they often hear their noises, especially during the recent surfacing of the Bush-Bin Laden connection.

Yeah, I realized re the von Braun quote after I hit submit. It's still a good "quote." It's a lot funnier than his early career.

There was a lot of history after 1945:

Oppenheimer wigged out after the bomb was dropped; Truman called him a "crybaby." He eventually was even denied his security clearance, for hazy reasons.

Einstein was VERY active in the peace effort after the war, warned of nuclear Armageddon, and advocated abolishing nuclear weapons. Here is a quickie story from Google. Einstein was even investigated by the FBI for his alleged subversive activities. This was no political wallflower.

I'm pretty sure I've read the Rhodes book -- "Making of the Atomic Bomb" or something?