Source: The American Conservative
by Doug Bandow
“Since the development of nuclear weapons, governments have threatened to use them. Far from being an innocent ingenue beset by nuclear-laden bandits, Washington has routinely treated nukes as the ultimate means to both deter and compel behavior. This goes back to ‘massive retaliation,’ a mirror image of Moscow’s present strategy, intended to deter a Soviet invasion of Western Europe when allied conventional forces were notably smaller than those fielded by the USSR. Israel, Pakistan, and North Korea also have either threatened to use nukes if threatened by superior force or allowed other governments to believe they might do so. Moreover, the fact that nuclear weapons are the best deterrent to threats from the world’s premier conventional power, which routinely imposes regime change to enhance its political influence and/or commercial advantage, already creates a significant incentive for proliferation.” (09/07/23)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/friends-dont-let-friends-play-with-nukes/