Alex Ward, VOX: This is exactly how a nuclear war would kill you
This is how the world ends — not with a bang, but with a lot of really big bombs.
Matthew Kroenig has witnessed firsthand the growing fear that nuclear war is imminent.
A professor at Georgetown University, he’s taught an undergraduate course on nuclear weapons and world politics for the past decade. He always asks the same question on the last day: How many of his students think they’ll see nuclear weapons used in their lifetime?
For many years, no more than one student would raise their hand. That made sense, he told me, because in those days, “talking about nuclear war was like talking about dinosaurs — it’s just something from the past that won’t be something in our future.”
But the past couple of years have been different. When he asked that question again this spring, roughly 60 percent of his students raised their hands. What’s more, he agrees with them. “If I had to bet at least one nuclear weapon would be used in my lifetime,” says the 40-year-old Kroenig, “my bet would be yes.”
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WNU Editor: I am one who has always had a fear of nuclear war. Even when the Soviet Union collapsed. And I am also one who does not believe that the U.S. and Russia would not start such a conflict .... even with the high tensions that exist today between both countries. My fear is what other countries may do, and how their conflicts may escalate into a nuclear exchange. India and Pakistan have always been on the top of my list, and the unpredictability of North Korea a close second.
6 comments:
Wnu - I partially agree.
I agree that rationale humans (excluding terrorists/religious fanatics), given enough time, would stop a full-on nuclear exchange.
Where I disagree is that humans would be given a fine degree of choices. It's not a one-for-one scenario in which one side sends one mile flying, then thinks about it, maybe sends one more and then stops. The reality will be that within less than 5 minutes hundreds of nukes will be launched by each side.
Go watch Failsafe. The old movie is better than the new even, so you should find for free on YouTube. Then sleep well.
If there is a nuclear war I hope I am killed in the blast, do not want to live in a world the day after.
Fortunately the old calculations don't work. In a conventional war, say Russia against China, Russia could wipe out 10 divisions a day of Chinese divisions and sue for peace within the week.
China losing 300 million Chinese in a nuclear exchange still leaves 1 billion left in a radioactive wasteland that will kill most of them. So China isn't tempted to exchange a portion of its vast population in exchange for killing the same number of Americans. Instead they'll get the North Koreans to do it.
That is the ugly world Trump is dealing with.
The popular theme of movies is of course the "rogue" boomer or Russian launch officer will let one fly and there would be an exchange horrifying everyone into a pause. This is not true. They will all fly period.
JH
Nuclear weapons are horrible. That said, it depends on the yield. The US detonated scores of them (above ground) in the western US post WW2. Maybe that's why 'Vegas is so crazy...
True True. ..Also this is what created Godzilla and hello kitty
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