Subscribe
Notify of
guest

5 Comments
Most Voted
Newest Oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Mark Corby
Mark Corby
3 years ago

A little disappointing Mr DeGroot. I have
previously admired much of your work but this piece seems to be yet another anti Trump polemic.
“Predictability is essential to nuclear harmony” That sounds like very feeble pseudo liberal tosh to me.
Trump may not be a “rational ” man and therefore unpredictable, but surely that is to his advantage?
His opponent will/should be wary.
Your précis of the Cuban Missile Crisis was also disingenuous to say the least, and hardly a shining example of the rational approach! As you well know, that ‘crisis’ was initiated by the US placing Jupiter (nuclear tipped) missiles in Turkey, close to the Soviet Border. Khrushchev’s response
was a classic chess move, which had the desired result would you not agree? This incident was in fact pragmatic not rational.
Today, off course, the antics of the CCP have brought forward the real possibility of nuclear confrontation. Unlike the old USSR, the CCP really thinks it can win. You had better have a word with them. Perhaps they will understand the concept of ‘nuclear harmony’, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

W. P.
W. P.
3 years ago

All diplomacy is a continuation of war by other means. — Zhou Enlai

Mark Corby
Mark Corby
3 years ago
Reply to  W. P.

Did he really say that?
He obviously couldn’t read German or perhaps didn’t understand Clausewitz!

Graham Veale
Graham Veale
3 years ago

An excellent piece, well argued.

CYRIL NAMMOCK
CYRIL NAMMOCK
3 years ago

Encouraging your enemies to think you might act irrationally is part of the game (theory). I’d suggest The Orange Antichrist understands the political ramifications of letting it be known he’s in favour of the idea of carrying out a nuclear test perfectly well.

Who can he be hoping is paying close attention?

“All war is a continuation of diplomacy by other means”- Carl von Clausewitz.