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[EchelonDivision]

Originally Posted by Tubthumper

Bugger not having nuclear weapons. Not having some crazy leader trying to nuke us because we don't have any. Imagine how much of an easy target we'd be then.

Which "crazy" leader are you referring to? Nuclear weapons do not prevent a country being attacked by another WMD country. Why would having a Trident replacement prevent Britain being attacked by WMD? I fail to see your logic.

[Old Gold]

Originally Posted by EchelonDivision

Which "crazy" leader are you referring to? Nuclear weapons do not prevent a country being attacked by another WMD country. Why would having a Trident replacement prevent Britain being attacked by WMD? I fail to see your logic.

The threat of retaliation surely?

I'm on the fence by the by, although the billions of pounds would be nice.

[Stichman]

Originally Posted by EchelonDivision

Which "crazy" leader are you referring to? Nuclear weapons do not prevent a country being attacked by another WMD country. Why would having a Trident replacement prevent Britain being attacked by WMD? I fail to see your logic.

Surely nobody is going to kick off a nuclear war when everyone has nukes? The threat of retaliation means that nobody is really going to use them because it would just end up in the whole world getting pretty bashed.

[Addi]

What you are talking about is a doctrine called Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD).

It is the most insane idea ever in the history of the world.

The Fog Of War: 11 lessons from the life of Robert S. MacNamara is a film in which MacNamara (US Secretary of Defence, 1961-8) talks about the things he learned while in that position. Including how close we have come, on several occasions, to destroying the world with a massive nuclear war. His second lesson (of the 11 in the film) was "Rationality will not save us." I suggest watching this film. I imagine it is up on google video.

Spend a couple of hours reading about MAD and how close we came to destroying the world during the cold war and it will probably change you perspective on our nuclear policies.

[Stichman]

Originally Posted by Addi

What you are talking about is a doctrine called Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD).

It is the most insane idea ever in the history of the world.

The Fog Of War: 11 lessons from the life of Robert S. MacNamara is a film in which MacNamara (US Secretary of Defence, 1961-8) talks about the things he learned while in that position. Including how close we have come, on several occasions, to destroying the world with a massive nuclear war. His second lesson (of the 11 in the film) was "Rationality will not save us." I suggest watching this film. I imagine it is up on google video.

Spend a couple of hours reading about MAD and how close we came to destroying the world during the cold war and it will probably change you perspective on our nuclear policies.

Okay dokey, but are you telling me you'd feel more comfortable if we had no nuclear weapons and the rest of the world did?

[Addi]

If nuclear states were willing to honour the commitments they made in the NNPT then we would all be dismantling our nuclear weapons stockpiles and no one would have nuclear weapons. When we refuse to live up to our obligations, and when we build new nuclear weapons we are making the world more dangerous for ourselves. The very fact that we have nuclear weapons and threaten to use them forces our 'enemies' into developing them.

But, if there was an 'enemy' of ours that had nuclear weapons, i would still rather that we didn't.

[scottyboy]

i don't think not building more tridents entails not having any nuclear weapons at all. anyway, the americans have plenty; i don't see who we'd be threatening to attack that the americans wouldn't go for first.