this post was submitted on 13 Aug 2024
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As Americans get more belligerent and less rich, it's only a matter of time before we roll out our archaic nuclear arsenal and see what still works.
After all, better to launch a nuclear strike on our enemies than let them win
Oh, no, they're gearing up to make new ones. Russia has worked to undermine nuclear treaties, and looks poised to reverse the progress we've made on getting rid of these damn fool things. The United States will go tit for tat.
I don't think Americans get to talk shit about undermining confidence in anti-proliferation treaties. Between Iraq, Iran, and North Korea, Americans consistently violate their own terms and conditions whenever it is even momentarily advantageous to them. Russians aren't the only ones walking away from the table after what Bush pulled with Curveball and the way Trump tore up the Obama deal with Iran.
The US already has more nuclear weapons than every other country (but Russia) combined. I believe we already have north of 4000 warheads, which is absurd considering the estimates to obliterate the entire planet come in at under 300 successful strikes.
You don't have to ascribe any altruistic features to the United States on this one. The US faces no existential threat to a conventional military. The other countries on its continent would never be capable of invading and conquering the US, and an oversea invasion is logistically impossible.
Nukes are the only real existential military threat to the US. It's therefore in our best interest that nobody has them. If that means getting rid of our own, then so be it. The US is perfectly capable of gunboat diplomacy without them.