Opinion | The Age of Predatory Nuclear-Weapon States Has Arrived – POLITICO

Russia s invasion of Ukraine makes at least one thing clear: It s time for us to update how we think about nuclear weapons. For the first time in the nuclear era, one country used loudly issued nuclear threats repeated just last week to deter other countries from intervening in a large-scale conventional war of aggression. We have entered the age of predatory nuclear-weapon states.

For political analysts and military officials, this is not an unexpected phenomenon. On the contrary, the concept falls under the so-called stability-instability paradox. Because the threat of nuclear war is so terrifying and the risk of annihilation so real, lower-level conflict actually becomes more feasible. One nuclear-armed country can undertake major conventional military action, expecting that its nuclear capability will prevent outside intervention. That is what s happening in Ukraine.

via www.politico.com