As an example of the power of deterrence vis a vis defensive capability, you can peruse the Anti Ballistic Missile treaty from the Cold War. Both sides were equ

As an example of the power of deterrence vis a vis defensive capability, you can peruse the Anti Ballistic Missile treaty from the Cold War. Both sides were equally terrified by the thought of their first strike capability being neutralized so much so that they both fairly readily agreed to stop* working on ABM systems to maintain the status quo/balance of terror. Deterrence itself is such a tricky animal. Does my act of open carrying a firearm discourage ne'er-do-wells from initiating crime? Put another way, it is hard to tell the efficacy of using a safety helmet because we generally have poor statistics about the people who do not get hurt at all precisely because they were wearing a helmet (...because they don't go to hospital or morgue). I recognize that this is a bit of a bird hop from the topic at hand.