Russia and America Rediscover Limits of Nuclear Weapons

Tom Nichols: “Henry Kissinger often said that nuclear arms are ‘weapons in search of a doctrine.’ After the Cold War, some strategists have tried to figure out what, exactly, these weapons could buy them beyond deterrence. The answer, as it turns out, is: nothing.”

“Two wars taking place right now are cases in point. The ongoing American attacks on Iran and Russia’s desperate campaign of atrocities in Ukraine have produced dramatic footage of two major powers taking on middleweight military opponents, inflicting grievous damage, and yet failing to achieve their goals. Among other painful lessons, the Americans and the Russians are learning, again, that their impressive array of nuclear weapons does not offer them a victorious path out of such conflicts.”