I think in the back of many minds is the absolute worst-case scenario when it comes to a terrorist attack... that of a fission bomb exploded in the heart of a major city/population center by an organization rather than a nation/state.
In the bad old days of MAD, nations held the others' assets hostage to retaliatory nuclear fire. Today, if a nuclear device falls into terrorist hands by whatever means, and one is used on New York, Washington, or London, what retaliatory options exist? With MAD not a part of this equation (the terrorists have nothing considered "mutual"), options seem to be nearly non-existent.
I am interested in hearing opinions on this, because barring a major shift in geopolitics, I think it may be simply a matter of time.
In the bad old days of MAD, nations held the others' assets hostage to retaliatory nuclear fire. Today, if a nuclear device falls into terrorist hands by whatever means, and one is used on New York, Washington, or London, what retaliatory options exist? With MAD not a part of this equation (the terrorists have nothing considered "mutual"), options seem to be nearly non-existent.
I am interested in hearing opinions on this, because barring a major shift in geopolitics, I think it may be simply a matter of time.
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