Old Toby wrote:
>> Even in 1939, the public in most European countries
>> was terrified of what air raids were expected to do.
>> Add 25 years of aircraft development, and nuclear
>> weapons, and IMHO the deterrent would be insurmountable.
>
>Which is why the threat of air raids has become _such_
>an effective deterent on "rogue nations", despite ample
>confirmation of their destructive potential...
1) "Rogue" nations are dictatorships whose rulers are
much less risk-averse than democracies.
2) The overwhelming power of the U.S., Britain, and
other First World powers is such that when it has
come to 'war' with such 'rogues', the major power
basically acts like an adult restraining a child.
Britain did not 'nuke' Argentina.
3) The responsible First World powers are constrained
by the probable reaction of world opinion if they
used their full military power. (Something which
does not apply to Russia, for instance. Nor to the
USSR. Nobody provoked _them_.)
--
| He had a shorter, more scraggly, and even less |
| flattering beard than Yassir Arafat, and Escalante |
| never conceived that such a thing was possible. |
| -- William Goldman, _Heat_ | |
