The Defeat of Nuclear Deterrence

Anon84 14 points 14 comments June 14, 2026
www.foreignaffairs.com · View on Hacker News

Discussion Highlights (3 comments)

Havoc

The deterrence could weaken but I suspect a single use of a nuke could (assuming it doesn't MAD) bring back deterrence by normalising use somewhat. If you think about post hiroshima...I don't think anyone doubted the US was willing to wipe out cities So not entirely convinced it's dead

Supermancho

> The Ukrainian operation was a spectacular example of a wider trend: nuclear deterrence is not working This article reads like clickbait. It ignores the context of the conflict in service of doomerism. It's vapid. The conflict was about resources. Russia got what it wanted and stopped. People may think the war is about more than that, but it wasn't and isn't from Russia's perspective. The incident described, was a guerrilla attack. A conventional attack that would provoke a nuclear response, from any nuclear country, would entail taking land from Russia (or a risk of national ground being gained) by a foreign force, capable of colonizing. That's what conventional means, not some checklist like "it must include tanks". Military losses are military losses during a war. Where they occur is incidental.

thisisnotauser

This article is absurd. They make a credible claim that nuclear deterrence through behavioral norms has failed, and then go on to conclude that the best alternative is ... Nuclear deterrence through behavioral norms. Has the author read their own article?

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