[Southack]

"Only an attack that destroys U.S. conventional military advantages is workable, and this attack must be overwhelming. In order to work effectively a mass destruction attack must decapitate the U.S. leadership. It must cripple the U.S. economy and paralyze the American military. Anything short of this merely invites destruction in turn."

Even if all of that were achieved, that would still leave our boomers available for global retaliation on a scale never before witnessed.

No, the *only* answer to American military power is to channel any conflict with the U.S. away from our storng suits (e.g. economic or military wars) into areas in which we've traditionally been more vulnerable, such as diplomacy, negotiations, and trade relations.

...But it won't hurt my feelings if the rest of the world never figures that fact out.

[jriemer]

Even if all of that were achieved, that would still leave our boomers available for global retaliation on a scale never before witnessed.

No, the *only* answer to American military power is to channel any conflict with the U.S. away from our storng suits (e.g. economic or military wars) into areas in which we've traditionally been more vulnerable, such as diplomacy, negotiations, and trade relations.

...But it won't hurt my feelings if the rest of the world never figures that fact out.

America can be undermined through the use of "diplomacy, negotiations, and trade relations" by a nation who's outlook is measured in decades and centuries. China has been on this track since Mao. There was a brief direct military confrontation in Korea. Afterward, they reverted course back to plan A.

[servantoftheservant]

No, the *only* answer to American military power is to channel any conflict with the U.S. away from our storng suits (e.g. economic or military wars) into areas in which we've traditionally been more vulnerable, such as diplomacy, negotiations, and trade relations.

When nuclear bombs explode in our cities, they will not be delivered in a classic way, by missile or aircraft. They will have been smuggled in, and they will do real damage. As the number of countries with nuclear weapons increases, the possibility of 'anonymous' nuclear attack increases.

The Chinese are proliferating nuclear weapons, but under 'plausible deniability'. First, they gave them to Pakistan (denied, of course), Pakistan is helping NKs program, NK is helping Iran, etc. These countries have relations with non-governmental 'terrorist' groups. As nuclear weapons become common in the worst countries in the world, America will have a difficult time finding a culprit to retaliate against.

The next major attack against us will not be by a clear adversary. The world has seen that our adversaries are crushed. The attacks will be done anonymously, with the entire world professing shock and horror and sympathy.