Frelkins,
You shifted rather quickly from what I think is the stronger argument against MAD (greater catastrophic risk due to human error and irrationality) to what I think is a weaker argument against MAD (a claim that some states are suicidal). I think you should focus on the stronger argument.
Also, I think the claim that a world without the type of MAD one gets from nukes is a world where all politics is solved through war is, I think, inaccurate. Some politics seems to be solved through war, others don’t, both before and after MAD. It may be true that there’s never been direct conflict on sovereign territory between two nations that both have nuclear strike capability against each other, but that’s a small swath of history.
I’m not arguing against MAD, or against the concept that nuclear proliferation results in a more peaceful world. But I’m not sold on it yet either. It’s worth more study, it seems to me.
Frelkins, You shifted rather quickly from what I think is the stronger argument against MAD (greater catastrophic risk due to human error and irrationality) to what I think is a weaker argument against MAD (a claim that some states are suicidal). I think you should focus on the stronger argument.
Also, I think the claim that a world without the type of MAD one gets from nukes is a world where all politics is solved through war is, I think, inaccurate. Some politics seems to be solved through war, others don’t, both before and after MAD. It may be true that there’s never been direct conflict on sovereign territory between two nations that both have nuclear strike capability against each other, but that’s a small swath of history.
I’m not arguing against MAD, or against the concept that nuclear proliferation results in a more peaceful world. But I’m not sold on it yet either. It’s worth more study, it seems to me.