GOV 312L Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Mutual Assured Destruction, North Korea And Weapons Of Mass Destruction, Second Strike
Document Summary
Before 1945 - unconventional era: protect territory and civilians with defense (or defensive military strategies); use of conventional weapons to block access to civilians. Must be credible prevent your attack, but i can retaliate so powerfully that you will not want to attack in the first place. If you attack me, i may not be able to. Deterrence is different from defense because defense adversary from taking a certain action, while deterrence to prevent an adversary from taking a certain action. When both sides possess enough nuclear weapons to counter one another (mutually. Nuclear revolution in warfare is rooted in the immense destructiveness of nuclear weapons. If nuclear weapons were used, they would alter key features of warfare (duration, targeting of noncombatants, and military relationship between winning and losing sides in a conflict) Nuclear weapons are too powerful to be useful in limited wars. Limited wars are intended to leave states damaged, not completely destroyed.
