You’re assuming only two countries have nukes. Think about all the aggressions around the world, where one of the countries involved either has the capacity or is very close to it, and now consider international relations devolving into chaos with no way of monitoring those knife-edge situations.
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There aren’t that many scenarios where nukes are a factor beyond US-Russia-China relations. In fact, there are two: India-Pakistan, which is basically out of everyone’s hands regardless, and Israel-Saudi/Iran, where one side cannot retaliate without assistance from US or Russia and where the rise of Trumputin makes little difference anyway. The leave of absence of the US as a brokering power in these situations will simply be covered by Russia. There is no chaos. If anything, there is more order; Putin is all about order.
Sorry, I remain of my opinion: one of the very few silver linings of Putin having a man in the White House, is that nuclear holocaust on a significant scale (for me Westerner, at least) is actually much less likely.
(Note: I willingly discount North Korea, since their capabilities are pretty ridiculous and China could basically reduce them to zero overnight in any serious situation. It falls squarely under China-US relations.)
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And don’t forget North Korea’s mediocre (but nonstop) attempts against South Korea, which I would argue is the only one that is truly “out of everyone’s hands”…or rather, out of the U.S. and Russia’s hands.
In all of those circumstances, the aggression is toward neighbors, but the fallout would spread much further and there could well be a domino effect of worldwide war.
I think you’re discounting how much diplomacy has been orchestrated by the U.S. and allies at the international level.
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Nah, it’s part of China’s little play for the southern region. The Chinese won’t allow nuclear explosions in their backyard, they’ll sooner wipe out the regime - which they can do overnight, since their armies don’t care for things like human rights and collateral casualties. They just use NK for brinkmanship and to bleed US resources, nothing more.
No, I think you are discounting how much diplomacy has not been orchestrated by Russia since 1989. Syria was the first step towards rolling back the clock, which is the whole plan for Putin. Possible US withdrawals from various scenarios will simply see a return to mid-XX century levels of Russian involvement in global diplomacy. I can see Trump even sponsoring that, introducing “his great friend” to this or that convention.
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I hope it won’t take a nuclear holocaust to open the safe, btw.
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Is this where I confess that this is the only thing giving me hope today?
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The only thing giving me hope today is that it’s friday, i got paid, and i’m gunna go get myself some booze after work.
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#YAAAAAY! We made it to 2,000 posts!!!
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I think there’s a little locked safe hidden inside each of us.
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I’m afraid i can’t open that safe Rob
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I’m your only friend
I’m not your only friend
But I’m a little locking friend
But really I’m not actually your friend
But I am
Elfin Hobbit in the outlet by the light switch
Who watches over you
Make a little locked-safe in your soul
Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I’m the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little locked-safe in your soul
I have a secret to tell
Hidden under the stairs
It’s a simple message and I’m leaving out the whistles and cares
So the room must listen to me
Filibuster vigilantly
My name is Robbie B one note spelled s-a-f-e
This thread is infinite
Like the Longines Symphonette it doesn’t rest
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Did you mean to ask if it was faggotry?
I always thought the fasces of the Roman lictors were intentionally impractical, what with the very heavy rods restraining the axes. You can see examples on the walls of the Senate or the obverse of a US dime. The original Etruscan ones seem to have had thinner rods, more like the Mace of the House, which is probably a usable weapon. But as you can see in @OtherMichael’s post, the fasces of Mussolini put the axe outside of the rods, completely subverting the symbolism. The (Germanic styled) axe has been freed from the restraints, which are left still bound behind it, only the rifle sling and pistol baldric hold it back.
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