Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site fisher.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!princeton!astrovax!fisher!david From: david@fisher.UUCP (David Rubin) Newsgroups: net.politics,net.followup Subject: Re: Disarm. & Foreign Policy Message-ID: <340@fisher.UUCP> Date: Tue, 2-Oct-84 08:17:36 EDT Article-I.D.: fisher.340 Posted: Tue Oct 2 08:17:36 1984 Date-Received: Wed, 3-Oct-84 19:16:06 EDT References: <318@ihu1e.UUCP> <4379@utzoo.UUCP> Organization: Princeton Univ. Statistics Lines: 15 As Henry Spencer says, the Soviets have somewhat different view of nuclear war than the US. However, even though they may deem civilian lives irrelevant to *fighting* a nuclear war, they must be aware of the dire political consequences to the Soviet state. The continued existence of the Soviet state is made possible only by the forceful repression of its varying nationalities' ambitions by the central government. Any significant civilian casualties in the centers of Russian power will substantially increase local autonomy. Fragmentation of the Soviet Union would likely follow. If civilian casualties do not deter Soviet leadership, the danger to their unitary state will. David Rubin {allegra|astrovax|princeton}!fisher!david