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> Are you suggesting that the US will initiate nuclear war? 'The United States has refused to adopt a no-first-use policy, saying that it "reserves the right t

> Are you suggesting that the US will initiate nuclear war? 'The United States has refused to adopt a no-first-use policy, saying that it "reserves the right to use" nuclear weapons first in the case of conflict.' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_first_use#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_first_use#United_States

mcv 10y ago
Worrying. Of all countries, the US with its unparalleled conventional military power should need nukes less than any other country.
- vinceguidry 10y ago
  Nah. If we forgo nukes then you'd see the whole world scrambling to build nukes to protect themselves and our conventional advantage would get nullified. We need them more than other nations do.
  - mcv 10y ago
    But you only need them to counter nukes. There's absolutely no need for the US to be the first to stoop to nukes.
    - vinceguidry 10y ago
      We need the posturing, it helps us to not actually have to use them. Think about it this way. In a gang, typically the strongest and most capable warrior will be the leader. That leader has to be perfectly willing to instill fear in the others and sacrifice one for the harmony of the group if he has to. If he were to tie his own hands behind his back out of some strange sense of fairness, then he's essentially abdicating his role as leader. The US is heavily invested in peace. We want peace more than just about every nation on the planet. By that I mean we don't just want national security, i.e. no other nations threatening us. We want every nation to be secure, happy, and open for business. We don't want random African nations fighting a war against each other. That's bad for business. France doesn't care if the Congo and Tanzania are fighting an all-out war. We do. So we invest a lot of money in institution-building at the international level. Organizations like the African Union promote economic peace and unity but it's only possible for them to flourish if the constituent nations feel militarily secure. This is where the US's overwhelming military and nuclear dominance come into play. We have to keep our big stick, ready at hand to Hulk smash anything threatening us, so that everyone else can relax and let the cooler heads prevail.

mcv 10y ago

Worrying. Of all countries, the US with its unparalleled conventional military power should need nukes less than any other country.

vinceguidry 10y ago
Nah. If we forgo nukes then you'd see the whole world scrambling to build nukes to protect themselves and our conventional advantage would get nullified. We need them more than other nations do.
- mcv 10y ago
  But you only need them to counter nukes. There's absolutely no need for the US to be the first to stoop to nukes.
  - vinceguidry 10y ago
    We need the posturing, it helps us to not actually have to use them. Think about it this way. In a gang, typically the strongest and most capable warrior will be the leader. That leader has to be perfectly willing to instill fear in the others and sacrifice one for the harmony of the group if he has to. If he were to tie his own hands behind his back out of some strange sense of fairness, then he's essentially abdicating his role as leader. The US is heavily invested in peace. We want peace more than just about every nation on the planet. By that I mean we don't just want national security, i.e. no other nations threatening us. We want every nation to be secure, happy, and open for business. We don't want random African nations fighting a war against each other. That's bad for business. France doesn't care if the Congo and Tanzania are fighting an all-out war. We do. So we invest a lot of money in institution-building at the international level. Organizations like the African Union promote economic peace and unity but it's only possible for them to flourish if the constituent nations feel militarily secure. This is where the US's overwhelming military and nuclear dominance come into play. We have to keep our big stick, ready at hand to Hulk smash anything threatening us, so that everyone else can relax and let the cooler heads prevail.