In all these discussions we often simply complex issues, because hey, its a mailing list. So let me add two other components. One is the ability to degrade incoming mass attacks (MIRV'd warheads) with missiles, and or, rail guns, and or lasers. The US developed this missile tech around 1960' It was nominally called the NIKE program. One can have Containment (shades of George Kenan) but if one doesn't have or want and this is the US President. We could contain North Korea or Iran, but we, the US, will not. Two things for Kiwis to consider.
Originally I said the reason to notgo all out in a nuclear war was "large areas of the Earth would be made uninhabitable" or something similar. It was spudboy100 who introduced MAD. -----Original Message----- From: LizR <[email protected]> To: everything-list <[email protected]> Sent: Wed, Jul 2, 2014 3:31 pm Subject: Re: American Intelligence On 2 July 2014 18:17, Quentin Anciaux <[email protected]> wrote: 2014-07-02 3:30 GMT+02:00 LizR <[email protected]>: On 2 July 2014 11:09, spudboy100 via Everything List <[email protected]> wrote: SMad will likely not work with say, an Iranian guv mint, but it worked ok with the Sovs. You fear a Pyrrhic victory, I fear capitulation. Yes, MAD wouldn't work with a nation of suicide bombers, for example, it requires the other side to have a rational desire to stay alive. I suspect that covers most world leaders myself but who knows you may have a point. Assuming you do, then you're basically saying you'd rather the human race died on its feet than lived on its knees, a view with which I have some sympathy (although having died on its feet there isn't a chance for a later slaves' revolt...) It would certainly not work because MAD is *mutually* assured destruction... While I can't deny they would be able to ensure some destruction, they would be the only one to have the "assured destruction" part in case of a nuclear conflict with the US, they do not have the necessary weapons power to ensure the US would be destroy, if and when then will have the bomb, they'll have nothing compared to the stockpile of the US (unless another nuclear power escalate the thing and the whole world goes "MAD") Yes it would only be MAD if the destruction was assured, so obviously I was only speaking hypothetically, as I assume was spudboy100 at this time (and hopefully long into the future). Originally I said the reason to notgo all out in a nuclear war was "large areas of the Earth would be made uninhabitable" or something similar. It was spudboy100 who introduced MAD. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
