1945's American-only atomic bomb was truly plenticidal (plentitude-reducing), but not because a full-out nuclear war would kill off thousands of the world's species in a few months.
It would have been just as plenticidal if it had never ever been used, but only threatened to be used.
Because its real target was not the Axis or even erstwhile allies like Russia - but rather Washington's favoured peace'n'wartime Allies !
Yes its real target were all the other bothersome friendly nations that Washington had to waste some much time mollifying all throughout the war.
But holding the world's only super-weapon puts an end to all that back and forth diplomacy and compromising and debating.
Conducting external affairs gets much simpler when you hold all the cards, make all the rules.
The Manhattan atomic Project was pursued at all speed and all costs, not because it would end the Axis coalition - but rather because it would end the Allied coalition.
Bet you don't find that fact in any of your professors' favourite books ....
Showing posts with label superweapons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label superweapons. Show all posts
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Saturday, December 20, 2014
why focus on Allied FAILURES of WWII ?
Why not focus on the Axis failures of WWII ?
Why not, you say, use a sawed-off shotgun at short range on a big fish in a small barrel ?
Hum, tempting - too tempting obviously for all the world's Rogue Boomers - people like Stephen Harper and Tony Abbott : 'we won the war, did nothing wrong, so no need to change nothing, carry on, business as usual.'
Rogue Boomers with short noses are more than usually handicapped by nature - being so unable to see beyond the end of it.
All three sides* in WWII expected a short cheap war - and all sides were wrong : that is the real lesson of WWII : the naivete easy optimism of pre-war Modernity and Scientism was revealed to all - or rather should have been.
(*Because remember, for a shamefully long time, the majority of the world's population was not at Germany or Britain's side but rather was Neutral.)
We don't have to wait till the current climate change crisis plays out to drawn the needed lesson that there is no pointing denying that there are limits to human abilities to control unpleasant change.
We already had the lesson - and the exam - during the six bloody and long and disappointing years of WWII : when time and time again all sides were told that a technology breakthrough, a new superweapon, would end the war quickly, cheaply and painlessly.
The truth be known, the WWII traffic in super hero instant solutions between children's comic books and senior leaders' Minute books are unceasing ....
Why not, you say, use a sawed-off shotgun at short range on a big fish in a small barrel ?
Hum, tempting - too tempting obviously for all the world's Rogue Boomers - people like Stephen Harper and Tony Abbott : 'we won the war, did nothing wrong, so no need to change nothing, carry on, business as usual.'
Rogue Boomers with short noses are more than usually handicapped by nature - being so unable to see beyond the end of it.
All three sides* in WWII expected a short cheap war - and all sides were wrong : that is the real lesson of WWII : the naivete easy optimism of pre-war Modernity and Scientism was revealed to all - or rather should have been.
(*Because remember, for a shamefully long time, the majority of the world's population was not at Germany or Britain's side but rather was Neutral.)
We don't have to wait till the current climate change crisis plays out to drawn the needed lesson that there is no pointing denying that there are limits to human abilities to control unpleasant change.
We already had the lesson - and the exam - during the six bloody and long and disappointing years of WWII : when time and time again all sides were told that a technology breakthrough, a new superweapon, would end the war quickly, cheaply and painlessly.
The truth be known, the WWII traffic in super hero instant solutions between children's comic books and senior leaders' Minute books are unceasing ....
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