A limited nuclear war or MAD?
if it's MAD, then I guess the question is: does it matter? If we see it, that's the last thing we'll see.

personally, i think there is going to be some crazy dictator that is going to get his hands on a nuke, and blow up NYC.

I dont really know much about this sort of thing but surely if there was a GLOBAL nuke war the wouldn't be much of the world left.

But I really doubt any terrrorists can get some hand-held nukes.

The issue is: any government knows exactly how many hand-held nukes they have, if one is missing, they will defnitely inform all the world.

For the LARGE nukes, it will make the terrorists handful to operate it

After Japan was nuked:
http://img95.exs.cx/img95/8046/nuke_japan1.jpg
http://img95.exs.cx/img95/487/nuke_japan2.jpg

Those photos give you an absolute orgy in your eyes does it?

A terrorist Nuke strike won't turn to MAD, but it'll sure as heck will turn the world against their type. I mean not just the terrorists, but truly this time, the people who harbor their sympathies and support.
Then again I'm not sure because there's always a significant group who always go, "oh no it was our fault. We're so evil..."