• tourist@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    It may be the lingering THC in my bloodstream, but I struggle to understand why anyone would be willing to deploy a nuclear weapon. Once one explodes, is it not totally game over for pretty much everyone?

    The US and China are two of the biggest economies in the world. If even one big city in either country gets nuked, surely that will have crippling global consequences? Radioactive fallout, major supply chain breakdowns, famine, civil unrest and the obvious initial loss of possibly millions of innocent civilians.

    Like what the hell are we supposed to do man

    • Dessalines@lemmy.ml
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      5 months ago

      There’s a saying: the dying serpent always bites. Empires usually die a slow death by overextending themselves in war.

      I wouldn’t be too worried in this case though, the economies of the US and the PRC are so intertwined, that US capitalists have more to lose than to gain by starting a hot war. The war hawks know they only have a few more years of military (specifically naval) superiority, which is why they make a lot of noise that it’s now or never. But the PRC thankfully played the long game, and even accepted some trade deals that weren’t in its favor, in order to tie their economies together, to prevent war.

    • QuarterSwede@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      The idea is a show of force to stop anyone from actually using them on anyone else and to get the other side to back down. No one, not even N Korea or Russia, really wants to use them. They aren’t that dumb yet fortunately.

      Also, there are different tonnages of nukes. While every nuke creates an environmental disaster. Some are small enough to be localized with minimal fallout. Still not great, but not world ending either.

        • lemmyman@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          Fair. When I read “no one actually wants to use nukes” I think “no nuclear power’s public geopolitical doctrine involves a nuclear first strike.” But individuals will not necessarily toe that line.

    • Citizen@lemmy.ml
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      5 months ago

      Maybe we reached “Cleansing” time…

      Idiots in charge… Nukes on their hands… People doing wrong things over and over again and not learning the lessons…

      you tell me…

      If everyone would plant at least a tree 🌳and care about it and watch it grow and what does it take for the tree to grow, no one would talk with such ease about nukes and armagedon shit…