4 ms·

Probably a completely idiotic suggestion, but why can't the US secretly provide Taiwan with a few nukes if things really heat up as a very last measure to deter

Probably a completely idiotic suggestion, but why can't the US secretly provide Taiwan with a few nukes if things really heat up as a very last measure to deter China.

pphysch 4y ago
That worked out fantastic in 1962.
krisoft 4y ago
To quote Dr. Strangelove: “Of course, the whole point of a Doomsday Machine is lost, if you keep it a secret!” What do you think would be the point of Taiwan having secret nukes? What would they do with them? Or for that matter non-secret nukes?
steponlego 4y ago
China would provide us with a few if we did that. Actually I believe the nukes are coming soon but thankfully will be limited to Europe and the UK.
- ChatGTP 4y ago
  Thankfully? There is nothing ‘thankfully’ about watching millions of people be vaporised or their skin melting off and children with cancers?
  - steponlego 4y ago
    Hey, you don't get to start WWIII and then puss out at the last, most kinetic stage. Europe is solidly on track for nuclear war. Russia already said they wouldn't nuke the USA, after nuking the UK that'd take the starch out of us, in their estimation. I suspect they're correct. NATO has been all fired up to balkanize Russia and start WWIII. I won't hear any whining and moaning when the dream comes true. I won't stand for it no matter HOW many people die.
cm2187 4y ago
What would be idiotic is to do that secretly. The whole point of nukes is that the enemy (and its public opinion) knows you have them and intend to use them if necessary.
- mupuff1234 4y ago
  Taiwan will reveal them at the very last moment when war is imminent. If war is still preventable showing the nukes will just escalate things.
  - RajT88 4y ago
    We periodically park Aircraft carriers there to de-escalate PRC activity. I am sure we have provided them some weapons. Not sure conventional or nuclear.
    - mulmen 4y ago
      We also sell (give?) them a lot of weapons. The Taiwanese air force is largely comprised of US airframes.
  - krisoft 4y ago
    > Taiwan will reveal them at the very last moment when war is imminent. Ok, they reveal them. What is next? Nukes are not magic. They are just weapons. What do you think would happen once they are “revealed”? What delivery mechanism are you proposing? Should they be aimed counter-force or counter-value? (Meaning are they trying to shoot the chinese nuclear launchers or are they lobbing them into chinese cities?) How are you protecting the nukes in Taiwan?
    - mupuff1234 4y ago
      You detonate one over open waters and tell China to back down. If they do, problem solved. If they don't, at that stage it probably didn't hurt.
stale2002 4y ago
Well, the biggest reason is that Taiwan already has domestic nuclear refinement capabilities and likely could make a nuke themselves in a couples months if they needed to. They don't need to do that quite yet though, as despite the media panic, an invasion of Taiwan is years, is not decades away from being attempted. China is a real threat, but it's more over the long term, than any immediate concerns.
- mjfl 4y ago
  most of the (mainland) Chinese students I talk to tell me that they believe an invasion will happen 'sooner than later'.
  - staunton 4y ago
    > sooner than later Seems consistent enough with decades
dirtyid 4y ago
Because historically nukes haven't deterred PRC who fought / skirmished / confronted with every nuclear state, USSR (border), USA (Korea), UK (HK threats), India (skirmishes), France (proxy in Vietnam), a few of those even when PRC wasn't a nuclear state it self. All over sovereignty / security interests much less important than TW. It's actually stupid how willing PRC is not deterred by nukes. PRC will treat TW slinging US sanctioned nukes same as US nuclear use.
yrdmb 4y ago
[flagged]

Probably a completely idiotic suggestion, but why can't the US secretly provide Taiwan with a few nukes if things really heat up as a very last measure to deter China.

pphysch 4y ago

That worked out fantastic in 1962.

krisoft 4y ago

To quote Dr. Strangelove: “Of course, the whole point of a Doomsday Machine is lost, if you keep it a secret!” What do you think would be the point of Taiwan having secret nukes? What would they do with them? Or for that matter non-secret nukes?

steponlego 4y ago

China would provide us with a few if we did that. Actually I believe the nukes are coming soon but thankfully will be limited to Europe and the UK.

ChatGTP 4y ago
Thankfully? There is nothing ‘thankfully’ about watching millions of people be vaporised or their skin melting off and children with cancers?
- steponlego 4y ago
  Hey, you don't get to start WWIII and then puss out at the last, most kinetic stage. Europe is solidly on track for nuclear war. Russia already said they wouldn't nuke the USA, after nuking the UK that'd take the starch out of us, in their estimation. I suspect they're correct. NATO has been all fired up to balkanize Russia and start WWIII. I won't hear any whining and moaning when the dream comes true. I won't stand for it no matter HOW many people die.

cm2187 4y ago

What would be idiotic is to do that secretly. The whole point of nukes is that the enemy (and its public opinion) knows you have them and intend to use them if necessary.

mupuff1234 4y ago
Taiwan will reveal them at the very last moment when war is imminent. If war is still preventable showing the nukes will just escalate things.
- RajT88 4y ago
  We periodically park Aircraft carriers there to de-escalate PRC activity. I am sure we have provided them some weapons. Not sure conventional or nuclear.
  - mulmen 4y ago
    We also sell (give?) them a lot of weapons. The Taiwanese air force is largely comprised of US airframes.
- krisoft 4y ago
  > Taiwan will reveal them at the very last moment when war is imminent. Ok, they reveal them. What is next? Nukes are not magic. They are just weapons. What do you think would happen once they are “revealed”? What delivery mechanism are you proposing? Should they be aimed counter-force or counter-value? (Meaning are they trying to shoot the chinese nuclear launchers or are they lobbing them into chinese cities?) How are you protecting the nukes in Taiwan?
  - mupuff1234 4y ago
    You detonate one over open waters and tell China to back down. If they do, problem solved. If they don't, at that stage it probably didn't hurt.

stale2002 4y ago

Well, the biggest reason is that Taiwan already has domestic nuclear refinement capabilities and likely could make a nuke themselves in a couples months if they needed to. They don't need to do that quite yet though, as despite the media panic, an invasion of Taiwan is years, is not decades away from being attempted. China is a real threat, but it's more over the long term, than any immediate concerns.

mjfl 4y ago
most of the (mainland) Chinese students I talk to tell me that they believe an invasion will happen 'sooner than later'.
- staunton 4y ago
  > sooner than later Seems consistent enough with decades

dirtyid 4y ago

Because historically nukes haven't deterred PRC who fought / skirmished / confronted with every nuclear state, USSR (border), USA (Korea), UK (HK threats), India (skirmishes), France (proxy in Vietnam), a few of those even when PRC wasn't a nuclear state it self. All over sovereignty / security interests much less important than TW. It's actually stupid how willing PRC is not deterred by nukes. PRC will treat TW slinging US sanctioned nukes same as US nuclear use.

yrdmb 4y ago

[flagged]