America dropping the A-bomb

[CelticBrennus]

[quote]However, a major problem with the Versailles treaty was the USA's well-known disgust and disapproval of it, which convinced the Germans that the United States would not intervene with them casting off the terms of the treaty. With the USA unwilling to intervene and France's morale and spirit so broken by their losses in WWI that they were reluctant to fight again, that gave Germany an effective green light to rearm and re-expand in the 1930s.[/quote]

The problem became that many of the leaders of Interwar Europe felt that the Versailles Treaty provisions were too harsh, and thus felt that the Germans did have a legitimate right to do some of the things they did. So, when they rearmed, moved back into the Rhineland, seized Austria and the Sudetenland, many felt that it was simply Germany doing things it had the right to do.

[Maithanet]

[quote name='Quoth' post='1683149' date='Feb 11 2009, 13.46']Suppose Iran delelops the bomb, has a stockpile of 2-4 bombs and gets crazy enough to use one on, say Chicago. Iran becomes a glowing parking lot? There's admittedly a huge part of me that, of course yells "Oh, hell yeah!" And another part of me that thinks it's out of whack, that MAD isn't working the way it was supposed to.[/quote]

Well, it is obviously going to depend on how that goes down. But if Iran doesn't immediately:

A) Condemn the attacks in the strongest language possible
B) Renounce/dismantle its nuclear weapons program
C) Allow international inspectors in to prove it
D) Allow free reign to US forces to capture those responsible within Iran

Because these moves would likely lead to the overthrow of the Iranian regime, it is in Iran's best interest to keep this from happening. The alternative is:

Yes, the nukes will fly, and a whole lot of people who didn't have much of anything to do with it are going to die. When military powers seek to assert themselves, disproportionate force is used. To me, the sheer power inequity of the situation means that unless Americans were in an uncharacteristically forgiving mood, then Iran is going to receive a such an onslaught. And that means multiple nuclear missiles in the air. Any lesser response would seem overly weak.

Fortunately, crazy as some Iranian leaders are, they can see this logic too.

[Altherion]

[quote name='Quoth' post='1683149' date='Feb 11 2009, 19.46']This is where, I think, the wheels come off MAD. While I think say, China, would be loath to start lobbing nukes, even at fleets, I'm less sure of a radicalized theocracy. Suppose Iran delelops the bomb, has a stockpile of 2-4 bombs and gets crazy enough to use one on, say Chicago. Iran becomes a glowing parking lot? There's admittedly a huge part of me that, of course yells "Oh, hell yeah!" And another part of me that thinks it's out of whack, that MAD isn't working the way it was supposed to.[/quote]
No, that example is AD working exactly as it is supposed to and this is why in all likelihood no nuclear power will directly attack another one thus. It's extremely unlikely that the people truly in charge are insane enough to risk it; even for theocrats, dealing a devastating blow to an enemy is unlikely to be worth provoking the genocidal retaliation. What they [i]might[/i] do is try to pass it off as the actions of someone else (e.g. terrorists), but this is also quite risky.

[Shryke]

Aye, even letting one of their nukes "misplaced" is a bad idea. Cause if ANYONE gets nuked, the rest of the world is going to be banding together to figure out where the fuck it came from.

There's really no way to get away with it without it being tracked back to you.

[Andhaira]

Sure there is. Blaming someone else for it.

Tking your earlier example, suppose someone does detonate a nuke in Chicago. Then immediately aftewards a van is found on the outskits of Chicago, with Farsi music/religious verses in it. Suddenly bomb fragments are found with the words 'Made in Iran!" written on it, with the Iranian equivalent of the middle finger. Then 'intellignece reports' are found linking 'without any doubt' that Iran was behind it.

All news agencies (fox especially) suddenly start outright saying that yeah, Iran did it.CNN plays a tape from the Iran-Iraq was 20 yrs ago of Iranans rejoicing in the streets, making ppl think Iranians are rejoicing over the nuke explosion. (which ofcourse they really have nothing to do with)

USA fires of a ton of nukes and wipes Iran off the map (or close to it). Isreal is secure from evil Iran once more. Oil and energy companies (who had suspiciously purchased tons of radiation suits months in advance before the first nuke in chicago even went off) suddenly move in and take control of Iran's oil and gas pipelines.

And the cycle repeats itself with each country in the mid east until either the USA is there in all of them (aka controls all its oil and energy supplies) or China and Russia finally get off their ass and do something (by that I mean take over the remaining countries with oil and gas before usa can get there)

[Tempra]

[quote name='Andhaira' post='1683953' date='Feb 12 2009, 04.26']Sure there is. Blaming someone else for it.

Tking your earlier example, suppose someone does detonate a nuke in Chicago. Then immediately aftewards a van is found on the outskits of Chicago, with Farsi music/religious verses in it. Suddenly bomb fragments are found with the words 'Made in Iran!" written on it, with the Iranian equivalent of the middle finger. Then 'intellignece reports' are found linking 'without any doubt' that Iran was behind it.

All news agencies (fox especially) suddenly start outright saying that yeah, Iran did it.[b]CNN plays a tape from the Iran-Iraq was 20 yrs ago of Iranans rejoicing in the streets, making ppl think Iranians are rejoicing over the nuke explosion. (which ofcourse they really have nothing to do with)[/b]

USA fires of a ton of nukes and wipes Iran off the map (or close to it). Isreal is secure from evil Iran once more. Oil and energy companies (who had suspiciously purchased tons of radiation suits months in advance before the first nuke in chicago even went off) suddenly move in and take control of Iran's oil and gas pipelines.

And the cycle repeats itself with each country in the mid east until either the USA is there in all of them (aka controls all its oil and energy supplies) or China and Russia finally get off their ass and do something (by that I mean take over the remaining countries with oil and gas before usa can get there)[/quote]



Is that some lame reference to the palestinians cheering after 9/11? Because of course, the rumor of that taping being from the 1990 invasion of kuwait was proven utterly false. Wiki it for confirmation.