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Nukes and Fundamentalists.
Feb. 17th, 2005 12:59 pmHoward Tomb writes in a letter to the New York Times that
Our current system of missile defense - known as "mutually assured destruction" - has worked flawlessly night and day for half a century. It promises nuclear annihilation for any country that attacks us with intercontinental ballistic missiles.
"Mutually Assured Destruction" was an effective deterrent against the Russians because the Russians didn't want to die. Communism lacks any eschatological narrative that would make death seem like a good thing.
It ceases to work when one of the parties comes to believe that the death of one's opponents is so great an end that if one's own people die as a result, they will receive a martyr's reward. This is precisely why nuclear arms in the hands of theocratic governments become quite frightening: they provide the potential to make eschatological prophecies self-fulfilling.
Our current system of missile defense - known as "mutually assured destruction" - has worked flawlessly night and day for half a century. It promises nuclear annihilation for any country that attacks us with intercontinental ballistic missiles.
"Mutually Assured Destruction" was an effective deterrent against the Russians because the Russians didn't want to die. Communism lacks any eschatological narrative that would make death seem like a good thing.
It ceases to work when one of the parties comes to believe that the death of one's opponents is so great an end that if one's own people die as a result, they will receive a martyr's reward. This is precisely why nuclear arms in the hands of theocratic governments become quite frightening: they provide the potential to make eschatological prophecies self-fulfilling.
