Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83 (MC840302); site erix.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!zehntel!dual!amd!pesnta!hplabs!hao!seismo!mcvax!enea!erix!mike From: mike@erix.UUCP (Mike Williams) Newsgroups: net.politics Subject: Re: (Re:)* Reagan's re-election Message-ID: <691@erix.UUCP> Date: Wed, 28-Nov-84 14:49:14 EST Article-I.D.: erix.691 Posted: Wed Nov 28 14:49:14 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 1-Dec-84 20:33:08 EST References: <491@utcsrgv.UUCP> Reply-To: mike@erix.UUCP (Mike Williams) Organization: L M Ericsson, Stockholm, Sweden Lines: 32 In article <491@utcsrgv.UUCP> vassos@utcsrgv.UUCP (Vassos Hadzilacos) writes: > >OK, since you ask: What makes me relatively unconcerned with an SS-20 >is that the Soviet Union, unlike the United States, has a stated >policy of no first use of nuclear weapons. In addition, it has a >policy of no n-th use (n>0) of nuclear weapons against countries >that do not have such weapons stored in their territory. (*) > Yes, but I don't trust the Soviet Union. What makes me not too worried about about the SS-20's is that they can't shoot them off to European targets without doing considerable damage to themselves - most countries are just too near the Iron Curtain. So a limited nuclear war in Europe is not that probable if we don't have nuclear missiles ourselves. In a total nuclear war they would be interested in wiping out as many potential "counter missiles" as possible so they probably would not bother about those countries which did not have bombs themselves. Ok I said "probably", I know I'me clutching at straws, but I rather prefer these straws to the alternative. I know that many people think that without the nuclear threat the Russian's would walk into Western Europe. I wouldn't expect American help to stop them either. I don't think the Russian either want to walk into Western Europe or would be prepared for the costly war it would be. They have enough problems of their own without creating more. Walking into Western Europe would be 100 times more difficult than walking into Afganistan. In the present situation the best we in Europe can to is to take some calculated risks and hope for the best. Mike Williams