more on this theme     |     more from this thinker     |     more from this text

---

Single Idea 23588

[filed under theme 25. Social Practice / E. Policies / 1. War / a. Just wars ]

Full Idea

With nuclear weapons, supreme emergency has become a permanent condition. …[283] But supreme emergency is never a stable position.

Gist of Idea

With nuclear weapons we have a permanent supreme emergency (which is unstable)

Source

Michael Walzer (Just and Unjust Wars [1977], 17)

Book Ref

Walzer,Michael: 'Just and Unjust Wars' [Penguin 1984], p.274

---

A Reaction

The obvious instability of balanced mutual threat is a nuclear state which finds itself losing a war.