I've been following the Ukrainian crisis since the beginning as I thought the original demonstrations in Kiev were going to mark a historic event in eastern Europe that had the power to mark a turning point in history. Fast forward 9 months or so and the rhetoric isn't about uprisings against corruption or civil disobedience, it's about national invasions and threats of nuclear war. So being a child of the cold war and a student of history I'm reminded that ww1 was started by a series of escalating seemingly minor/regional events.
I keep trying to write a history paper because it's relevant but is a lengthy read. Instead, let's forget the likelihood that cooler heads will prevail and consider that one side or the other suddenly believes that the assured part of MAD isn't really assured and that large scale nuclear conflict is a viable political option. Scary as though it might be, consider that the conflict escalated and the "all for any" policy ensures that the entire nuclear arsenals of the world powers are unleashed. If I may, I would like to avoid to much banter of it's the end and we all die and such and like the conflicted series, just consider this scenario.
It's 2am early Tuesday morning. Monday sucked as Monday's do and you stayed up late working and by the time you get to bed it is around midnight. You are exhausted. It's been a long day. While you would rather be dreaming about that trip you were taking weekend after next, your thoughts pulled your mind's eye to that big project you have been working on and dreams turn to people at work and the problems you have to solve. Just the facts of adult life are dominating your imagination and
*BUZZZZZZZZZZZUZUZUUZ* - WTF.. iPhone is screaming at you in a tone you've heard before. You snap out of lalaland and think to yourself, "Damn it, I thought I turned the Amber Alerts off." You knock over the lamp on your nightstand grabbing for your phone in vane hopes quieting it before you wake the whole house. It's too late. You try to put in your password to shut down the alert when enough focus comes into view; you read the message.
EMERGANCY ACTION NOTIFICATION: AT 2:47AM EST A NUCLEAR LAUNCH AGAINST THE US WAS DETECTED. TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.
The reality hasn't set in. You continue to try to stop the alert but can't. A few seconds pass before the fog clears and you begin to comprehend what you just read. What do you do?
I keep trying to write a history paper because it's relevant but is a lengthy read. Instead, let's forget the likelihood that cooler heads will prevail and consider that one side or the other suddenly believes that the assured part of MAD isn't really assured and that large scale nuclear conflict is a viable political option. Scary as though it might be, consider that the conflict escalated and the "all for any" policy ensures that the entire nuclear arsenals of the world powers are unleashed. If I may, I would like to avoid to much banter of it's the end and we all die and such and like the conflicted series, just consider this scenario.
It's 2am early Tuesday morning. Monday sucked as Monday's do and you stayed up late working and by the time you get to bed it is around midnight. You are exhausted. It's been a long day. While you would rather be dreaming about that trip you were taking weekend after next, your thoughts pulled your mind's eye to that big project you have been working on and dreams turn to people at work and the problems you have to solve. Just the facts of adult life are dominating your imagination and
*BUZZZZZZZZZZZUZUZUUZ* - WTF.. iPhone is screaming at you in a tone you've heard before. You snap out of lalaland and think to yourself, "Damn it, I thought I turned the Amber Alerts off." You knock over the lamp on your nightstand grabbing for your phone in vane hopes quieting it before you wake the whole house. It's too late. You try to put in your password to shut down the alert when enough focus comes into view; you read the message.
EMERGANCY ACTION NOTIFICATION: AT 2:47AM EST A NUCLEAR LAUNCH AGAINST THE US WAS DETECTED. TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.
The reality hasn't set in. You continue to try to stop the alert but can't. A few seconds pass before the fog clears and you begin to comprehend what you just read. What do you do?
