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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Maurice Winn who wrote (757383)	2/17/2022 5:03:59 PM
From: skinowski	1 Recommendation Recommended By Maurice Winn Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 793575

A tactical nuclear weapon (TNW) or non-strategic nuclear weapon [1] is a nuclear weapon which is designed to be used on a battlefield in military situations mostly with friendly forces in proximity and perhaps even on contested friendly territory. The thousands of tactical warheads wielded by both sides in the late-1980s declined to the estimated 230 American and 1,000 to 2,000 Russian Federation warheads of 2021, although estimates for Russia vary widely. [6] en.m.wikipedia.org No one talks about those things, but they’re real. I was a teenager when I first heard of them, and remember wondering what they mean -- a nuke is a nuke, I thought. But maybe it’s not that easy. It could be a way to win a local war - while leaving a face saving excuse for other powers to stay home and make noise and bitch on TV. When Putin mentioned a few days ago that while Russia's military potential cannot compare with that of NATO countries, he also “understands that Russia is one of the leading nuclear powers” — he may have had those “limited, tactical weapons” in mind. If Putin is telling the truth that Ukraine joining NATO is an existential threat to his country - that means the Russians will do whatever is needed in order NOT to loose the war. I think, actually, the dance with troops withdrawals could be mainly for domestic consumption - he’s showing his people how hard their government is trying to avoid war (in which case, Blinken acting arrogantly and victoriously would help Putin’s case). If Blinken thinks he’s already won this one - I’d say he needs to think a lot harder. We do not live in a theoretical geopolitical construct, where a decision about joining a defense block is strictly between that block - and the nation in question. We live in a very real world - and if there is a major nuclear power having such strong objections that they’re ready to fight — why not take it seriously?? But… We belong to a species which always used to find reasons to have a good war. We, humans, are naturally dumb, in this sense. So… remains to be seen.