What counterstrike? If he pops a small, relatively clean nuclear weapon over a Ukrainian airfield, the United States will almost certainly not retaliate against

What counterstrike? If he pops a small, relatively clean nuclear weapon over a Ukrainian airfield, the United States will almost certainly not retaliate against the Russian homeland — that path nearly inevitably leads to general war. This is doubly true if Putin decides to cause a high-altitude nuclear EMP event. We are in a serious policy vice and the odds of him resorting to a nuclear demonstration are non-zero and grow by the day. Even the best outcome of that scenario likely means a massive proliferation crisis as countries around the world put plans into effect to join the nuclear club ASAP.