01-26-2017, 03:38 PM
(01-26-2017, 01:45 PM)SomeGuy Wrote: All of which is why even a military conflict with China would be unlikely to escalate to a nuclear exchange, especially not right off the bat. Cyber attacks, naval clashes, attacks on satellites, even a proxy conflict in Korea again, sure, but a nuclear exchange? Doesn't really make sense.
Maybe, maybe not.
How does the US sink one of China's artificial islands? Conventional weapons can't sink an island. A nuke would do it neatly, though, with minimal loss of life.
How does China sink a US carrier? They don't have the conventional forces to do it. A nuke could do it, though, and would "only" kill a few thousand.
I could see a naval conflict escalating to nuclear weapons much more easily than a land conflict.
Of course, there are nonmilitary weapons that might be equally devastating. China could release their immense reserves of dollars in a way that would result in instant painful inflation in the US. It would of course hurt China too. Similarly with the US imposing tariffs on Chinese goods.
The best solution would be a win/win deal. Let's just hope personalities don't get in the way.