3 ms·

I don't think it's entirely clear that the US/Europe has the appetite to go to war over the use of a tactical nuke.

hollerith 4y ago
Has the US or NATO even threatened to go to war if Russia starts using tacnukes in Ukraine? I haven't seen any reports to suggest so, and I've been following the news on this war closely. (The US has threatened more sanctions if Russia uses WMDs. That threat was in response to signs Russia was getting ready to use chemical weapons.)
- mattm 4y ago
  Nuclear or chemical fallout that drifts into NATO countries could potentially warrant a response. Here's one such article from a few weeks ago. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2022/03/23/if-russia-uses-wmd-ukraine-fallout-could-trigger-nato-response-key-lawmaker-says.html https://www.military.com/daily-news/2022/03/23/if-russia-use... Of course, we won't know for sure unless it happens (and let's hope it doesn't).
  - hollerith 4y ago
    OK, but even when detonated high enough above the ground that no appreciable fallout is produced, nukes are quite destructive. In fact, for many kinds of targets, cities being one, the altitude that maximizes destruction is high enough.
histriosum 4y ago
My uneducated guess is that the primary goal of the latest rhetoric about the possible use of chemical weapons is intended to make this more clear. If "we" (not the US yet, but other countries that are nearer) are signalling a readyness to respond kinetically if chemicals are used, surely the message is that nuclear would trigger an even greater response.
- hollerith 4y ago
  Which military power has signaled a readiness to respond kinetically if chemicals are used?
  - histriosum 4y ago
    The UK has stated that "all options are in the table" if there is a chemical attack. The implication to me is that a kinetic response would then be a possibility, since everything else is basically being done at this point.. Reference: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ukraine-russian-chemical-weapons-uk-b2056129.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ukraine-russi...
threatofrain 4y ago
China might just drop their support of Russia if that happened.
vba616 4y ago
If a tactical nuke is used, then it is proof that escalation to nuclear weapons does not imply the global nuclear holocaust that has been acting as a deterrent. It eliminates the logic of not going to war. Not that "logic" has any connection to "appetite" or that excuses require it.

Has the US or NATO even threatened to go to war if Russia starts using tacnukes in Ukraine? I haven't seen any reports to suggest so, and I've been following the news on this war closely. (The US has threatened more sanctions if Russia uses WMDs. That threat was in response to signs Russia was getting ready to use chemical weapons.)

mattm 4y ago
Nuclear or chemical fallout that drifts into NATO countries could potentially warrant a response. Here's one such article from a few weeks ago. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2022/03/23/if-russia-uses-wmd-ukraine-fallout-could-trigger-nato-response-key-lawmaker-says.html https://www.military.com/daily-news/2022/03/23/if-russia-use... Of course, we won't know for sure unless it happens (and let's hope it doesn't).
- hollerith 4y ago
  OK, but even when detonated high enough above the ground that no appreciable fallout is produced, nukes are quite destructive. In fact, for many kinds of targets, cities being one, the altitude that maximizes destruction is high enough.

histriosum 4y ago

My uneducated guess is that the primary goal of the latest rhetoric about the possible use of chemical weapons is intended to make this more clear. If "we" (not the US yet, but other countries that are nearer) are signalling a readyness to respond kinetically if chemicals are used, surely the message is that nuclear would trigger an even greater response.

hollerith 4y ago
Which military power has signaled a readiness to respond kinetically if chemicals are used?
- histriosum 4y ago
  The UK has stated that "all options are in the table" if there is a chemical attack. The implication to me is that a kinetic response would then be a possibility, since everything else is basically being done at this point.. Reference: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ukraine-russian-chemical-weapons-uk-b2056129.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ukraine-russi...

threatofrain 4y ago

China might just drop their support of Russia if that happened.

vba616 4y ago

If a tactical nuke is used, then it is proof that escalation to nuclear weapons does not imply the global nuclear holocaust that has been acting as a deterrent. It eliminates the logic of not going to war. Not that "logic" has any connection to "appetite" or that excuses require it.