Abstract :
Starting a nuclear war with the object of winning seems an idea whose time — if it ever came — has passed. No longer can the United States or the Soviet Union hope to attain any military or political advantage by threatening a nuclear first strike against the other or even by carrying out such a threat. Inevitable and unacceptable retaliation rules out a sane decision by either superpower to strike first. The sole remaining value of a nuclear force is to deter the other side from using its own nuclear capability.
