Single Idea 23588

[catalogued under 25. Social Practice / E. Policies / 1. War / a. Just wars]

Full Idea

With nuclear weapons, supreme emergency has become a permanent condition. …[283] But supreme emergency is never a stable position.

Gist of Idea

With nuclear weapons we have a permanent supreme emergency (which is unstable)

Source

Michael Walzer (Just and Unjust Wars [1977], 17)

Book Reference

Walzer,Michael: 'Just and Unjust Wars' [Penguin 1984], p.274


A Reaction

The obvious instability of balanced mutual threat is a nuclear state which finds itself losing a war.