Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday signed a decree broadening the scope of when Moscow can use nuclear weapons in a clear message to the West and Ukraine.
This opens up the possibility that, when the next ATACMS are used against Russia, a nuclear response occurs.
I think its probably intended to address the use of a M.O.A.B. or other large scale conventional armament, like Trump deployed in Afghanistan at the start of his first term. Eliminates the theory that Americans can just firebomb Tokyo or Dresden and pretend its fine because the wreckage isn’t radioactive.
Whether they do it or not is still uncertain but I wouldn’t want to test it.
Everything I grew up with, learning about the background of the First World War, echoes this moment. Countries across Europe piling weapons atop each other as their leadership gets more and more eager to use them. Wilhelm doing parade marches with his toy soldier battalions. Tsar Nicholas adopting military dress as the imperial uniform. George V coming up through the royal navy and fascinating himself with British naval exploits.
This feels like a lot of the same. People drowning in their own military mythology, from DC to Paris to Moscow, all convinced another international conflict would leave them out in front of the pack. Everyone raising the stacks, because they think they’ve got a winning hand.
Was an actually good reason ever given for the use of that MOAB? My wild hunch is that Trump wanted to do something insane so the MIC distracted him with the biggest non-nuclear boom possible.
I remember someone in the military I knew trying to rationalize it by saying the ordinance was decades old and would have gone to waste if they hadn’t dropped it on some guys in a cave, which would obviously be the bigger crime.
Trump thought he could step into office and immediately win the war by being Mega Based Chad and doing the most Epic war thing imaginable shy of a mushroom cloud. Obviously it didn’t work, because there was nothing the Afghans had that could justify using the weapon. But it made headlines, which was important for the Trump news cycle.
Putin is looking at a second Trump term and a guy like Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon, and likely thinking he doesn’t want Trump to try the same trick twice. It may work, as Trump is typically savvy enough to know not to punch someone who can punch back.
I think its probably intended to address the use of a M.O.A.B. or other large scale conventional armament, like Trump deployed in Afghanistan at the start of his first term. Eliminates the theory that Americans can just firebomb Tokyo or Dresden and pretend its fine because the wreckage isn’t radioactive.
Everything I grew up with, learning about the background of the First World War, echoes this moment. Countries across Europe piling weapons atop each other as their leadership gets more and more eager to use them. Wilhelm doing parade marches with his toy soldier battalions. Tsar Nicholas adopting military dress as the imperial uniform. George V coming up through the royal navy and fascinating himself with British naval exploits.
This feels like a lot of the same. People drowning in their own military mythology, from DC to Paris to Moscow, all convinced another international conflict would leave them out in front of the pack. Everyone raising the stacks, because they think they’ve got a winning hand.
Was an actually good reason ever given for the use of that MOAB? My wild hunch is that Trump wanted to do something insane so the MIC distracted him with the biggest non-nuclear boom possible.
I remember someone in the military I knew trying to rationalize it by saying the ordinance was decades old and would have gone to waste if they hadn’t dropped it on some guys in a cave, which would obviously be the bigger crime.
Oh, man. That’s fantastic MIC logic. If we don’t use it - it’ll go stale.
Trump thought he could step into office and immediately win the war by being Mega Based Chad and doing the most Epic war thing imaginable shy of a mushroom cloud. Obviously it didn’t work, because there was nothing the Afghans had that could justify using the weapon. But it made headlines, which was important for the Trump news cycle.
Putin is looking at a second Trump term and a guy like Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon, and likely thinking he doesn’t want Trump to try the same trick twice. It may work, as Trump is typically savvy enough to know not to punch someone who can punch back.