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Perhaps this is already forgotten history, but for all the talk about desperate despots the US is still actually the only country to have ever used nuclear bomb

Perhaps this is already forgotten history, but for all the talk about desperate despots the US is still actually the only country to have ever used nuclear bombs in combat, twice. On civilian cities mind you. And the circumstances were anything but desperate for them.

mrtksn 4y ago
The US also refrained from using that weapon to further conquer the world though. I've read somewhere that the US generals were pumped to use that super weapon to further advance their military interests but the political class opposed it. There are many sins of the US but overall I'm inlined to believe that the US is much more rational superpower that ultimately brings more good than bad because the US interests are in peaceful world that play on their rules. The relative world peace since the WW2 is known as PAX Americana and the moment it falters wannabe warlords start regional wars, causing big tragedies and any conflict happens wherever the US can't project it's force over the regional powers. The weaker the US the more wars happen. You can argue that US rules are not fair and there is quite a lot of American exceptionalism but I'm not convinced that the proposed replacements are any better, thus the wars to change the system are wars fought in vein. IMHO, working with the US is much better any given day. The only risk is, the US itself changing into something bad or retreats voluntarily and leaving vacuum.
- sfusato 4y ago
  Imagine being lectured about the dangers of the concentration camps of other countries by … arrogant germans.
  - LargoLasskhyfv 4y ago
    They are no german invention though, they just scaled them way up, compared to what has been done before, and elsewhere, by other players.
    - sfusato 4y ago
      Of course it's not a german invention. But very few people know that the germans improved upon the British ones (say that publicly and you risk being labelled a conspiracy theorist). And on and on with the chain of history. I was just trying to make a point about hypocrisy, double standards etc.

mrtksn 4y ago

The US also refrained from using that weapon to further conquer the world though. I've read somewhere that the US generals were pumped to use that super weapon to further advance their military interests but the political class opposed it. There are many sins of the US but overall I'm inlined to believe that the US is much more rational superpower that ultimately brings more good than bad because the US interests are in peaceful world that play on their rules. The relative world peace since the WW2 is known as PAX Americana and the moment it falters wannabe warlords start regional wars, causing big tragedies and any conflict happens wherever the US can't project it's force over the regional powers. The weaker the US the more wars happen. You can argue that US rules are not fair and there is quite a lot of American exceptionalism but I'm not convinced that the proposed replacements are any better, thus the wars to change the system are wars fought in vein. IMHO, working with the US is much better any given day. The only risk is, the US itself changing into something bad or retreats voluntarily and leaving vacuum.

sfusato 4y ago
Imagine being lectured about the dangers of the concentration camps of other countries by … arrogant germans.
- LargoLasskhyfv 4y ago
  They are no german invention though, they just scaled them way up, compared to what has been done before, and elsewhere, by other players.
  - sfusato 4y ago
    Of course it's not a german invention. But very few people know that the germans improved upon the British ones (say that publicly and you risk being labelled a conspiracy theorist). And on and on with the chain of history. I was just trying to make a point about hypocrisy, double standards etc.