Apocalypse Now: This Time it Feels Different by Dave Barrows API
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The human animal enjoys killing for profit, fun, and pleasure. The history of the human animal is one of warfare. There has been warfare all of my life: Born during World War II, the Korean War, and the War in Vietnam, Iraq (Wars 1 & 2), and Afghanistan, as well as the Israeli Wars.
These are the major conflicts (all nonnuclear) currently underway.
Country Casualty range 2022 Type
Myanmar 10,000+ Civil War
Russia 10,000+ Russo-Ukrainian War
Ukraine 10,000+ Russo-Ukrainian War
Afghanistan 1,000 to 10,000 Civil War/Terrorist Insurgency
Burkina Faso 1,000 to 10,000 Terrorist Insurgency
Colombia 1,000 to 10,000 Civil War/Drug War
DR Congo 1,000 to 10,000 Terrorist Insurgency
Ethiopia 1,000 to 10,000 Civil War
Iraq 1,000 to 10,000 Terrorist Insurgency/Political Unrest
Mali 1,000 to 10,000 Civil War/Terrorist Insurgency
Mexico 1,000 to 10,000 Drug War
Nigeria 1,000 to 10,000 Terrorist Insurgency
Somalia 1,000 to 10,000 Civil War
South Sudan 1,000 to 10,000 Ethnic Violence
Sudan 1,000 to 10,000 Terrorist Insurgency
Syria 1,000 to 10,000 Civil War
Yemen 1,000 to 10,000 Civil War
Benin 0 to 999 Terrorist Insurgency
Cameroon 0 to 999 Terrorist Insurgency
The Cuban Missile Crisis
The closest to a nuclear Holocaust appears to have been the Cuban Missile Crisis. However, in the end, not much happened:
“The Cuban missile crisis showed that neither the United States nor the Soviet Union was ready to use nuclear weapons for fear of the other's retaliation (and thus of mutual atomic annihilation). The two superpowers soon signed the Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty of 1963, which banned aboveground nuclear weapons testing.”
Biden and Taiwan
But CAN the United States defend Taiwan?
“The United States should respond to any Chinese attack, yes — in that sense, there should not be strategic ambiguity — but rather than promise to respond militarily, we should seek to develop a wider range of response options that include the use of economic, diplomatic, and other tools. This approach has the benefit of being consistent with the Defense Department’s concept of “integrated deterrence,” and of not promising that we would effectively defend Taiwan when in fact, it may be beyond our power to do so.” Brookings, Michael E. O’Hanlon, Wednesday, June 1, 2022
Russia and Ukraine
But this time, it feels different. No serious nuclear power has ever publicly contemplated the use of nuclear weapons; even so-called tactical nuclear weapons (whatever that means). In my opinion, this crosses the line and makes the unthinkable, perhaps, feasible.