Thursday, August 24, 2006
The One Conjecture
While we're on the subject of Wretchard's talents, here's Ace to fill in the picture:
I think we get all psyched about our technology, but the fact is the greatest war technology in history was created in 1945, and the Iranians are about to get it. They're 60 years behind us-- so what? The past 60 years we've made incredible advances, but mostly in terms of fighting war more surgically and humanely. And frankly, I don't know if that's really the best way to win wars. The best way to win a war remains to drop a nuke on a city (or smuggle it in). Everything since then is just trying to find conventional, humane methods that can approach the same level of effectiveness. And we ourselves are 40 or so years from developing any non-nuclear strategy that is as effective as the simple and direct nuclear one.
So, a year from now, the Iranian madmen will be, for all real purposes, our equals in warfighting. Or our betters, as they, unlike us, are not afraid to use the best weapon available.
What can be done about this? Almost nothing.
