I saw some people in the Ukraine megathread advocating for Russia to not launch the nukes in return if America were to nuke them, and it's scaring me the fuck out rn.
If whole premise of MAD is that a nuclear first strike, while killing your enemies, would be suicide. The whole premise is that of a Mexican standoff where if one party shoots, the other shoots also.
The suicidal nature of a nuclear first strike is the only thing keeping the world from nuclear devastation rn.
Please don't fucking advocate for victims of an American nuclear first strike to not retaliate.
(BTW, America is the only power who hasn't relinquished their right to a first strike anyways)
There’s so many stories about soldiers who refused orders to fire nukes after a false alarm and saved the world. There are no such stories where that alarm was legitimate because the only nuclear weapons ever used in armed conflict were used against a nation without second strike capability.
International relations are about power, not morality. To acknowledge that nuclear war is the worst case scenario for everyone involved would involve taking the option off the table and removing the deterrent. So everyone has to act like they’re ready to do a second strike.