If the U.S. resorted to nuclear weapons in order to avoid "defeat" in Iraq

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

without invoking a widespread draft, and to be able to perpetuate other conquests in the Middle East with limited manpower, would the rest of the world immediately unite against the U.S.?

[shadowknows69]

1. I believe so

I'm pretty sure plans have been discussed already. Been a lot of meetings between China, Russia, France and Germany in the last 4 years. Or China and Russia would loan Iran a few hundred warheads to lob at our troops in the area. It would be the end of all things.

[Nay]

2. Yes. We would become a pariah nation.

[MSgt213]

3. I know Bush is stupid and even a little nuts but lets hope he is not that

crazy.

[Nadienne]

11. Hope for the best....

In which case, "stupid and a little nuts" is probably the best we can hope for.

[TreasonousBastard]

4. Oh, yeah!

The US is the only country that hasn't renounced first use of nukes, and still the only one that's ever used them.

I don't know what anyone else could do if we dropped a tactical nuke or two, but they would most assuredly not be happy.

Just owning nukes is frowned upon these days, and actually using one is unthinkable. The next country to use one will become a pariah and suffer whatever punishment than world can come up with.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

5. The sad thing, I think plenty of "unthinkables" have been "thunk"

recently.

Like drumming up a conquest of a country on totally fake pretenses.

[TreasonousBastard]

7. THAT, we've been doing for years...

the Spanish-American War, Mexican War, adventures in Central and South America... We even started to invade Canada a couple of times in the past.

Dig around the history of what we did to the Philippines after we sto.. er, "liberated" them from the Spanish.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

9. Oh I'm well aware of the history. Just thinking in the "modern" context

tho.

[Solly Mack]

6. I'm not entirely convinced they would unite against America

I do believe there would be a huge outcry and nations would register their shock and outrage.

I'm just not sure they would do much more than that...

Are they going to declare war against America? Bush might not care about global destruction but leaders of other nations do.

So the whole world gets nuked because Shrub is a mad man? I give (some) foreign leaders more credit than that.

Not saying it won't get ugly if Shrub did do something like that...but to me, it's bad enough now that other nations should be uniting against the corruption and dangers of a Bush administration...

and there's not enough unity between those nations to even do that...

Sure, some refused to send troops...but they still deal with America.

and America is a bottomline kind of country. Nothing else seems to matter to America.

Maybe I'm just a cynic.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

12. I'm not suggesting that countries would immediately nuke back. I'm

talking about meeting and, say, announcing an alliance between the European Union (probably without Britain), China, India and Russia, (or some subset thereof) with a mutual defense pact. Like, if you try that shit with any of us, you will get response from all of us. In other words, making official what may be already getting set up behind the scenes now...

[Solly Mack]

15. Bush would welcome MAD back in full swing

It's a goal of the right wing. Allows for defense build-up. $$$$$$$$$

The Cold War was a right wing wet dream come true.

[agincourt]

8. Hard to tell how the world would react.

But I know our corporate pig-boy media would be going on about what a Biiig Maaano president Hee Haw is for doing it.

[bowens43]

10. I certainly hope so.

[Kingshakabobo]

13. Yes.

I just don't see what they would "nuke". A couple of insurgents in the back of a coffee shop?

The "nuke" talk coming from rethugs drives me f--cking crazy. I mean, these are the same people that want to "liberate" the poor Iraqi people but now they are talking about nuking civilian population centers.

This country is dead from the neck up, as Archie Bunker used to say.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

16. Use of "tactical nukes" from artillery or cruise missiles would probably

be the thing. Or easier flattening of cities like Fallujah or Mosul. "You have 48 hrs. to get out" then nuke it kind of thing. No Marines lost, except to cancer 15 years later that the Defense Dept. claims was unrelated to nuke fallout.

The sort of thing that Fox watching RWers have wet dreams about.

[firebee]

14. This is almost a rhetorical question...

Would the rest of the world immediately unite against the United States???? Take a look around and think about this question being asked. If I'm not mistaken, the world's pretty much ALREADY UNITED AGAINST THE U.S!!! I think the question should be "Would a formidable world coalition immediately take military action against the United States if Pinky and the Brain decide to launch a nuke????"

They're Diabolical I tell ya'

[0007]

17. Without a doubt, we'd become bigger pariahs than we are now.

[Obviousman]

18. yeah, but it wouldnt matter

because IDIOT americans would unite behind bush even more.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

19. Pull their money out of our banks.... break our financial back. One can

only hope this is what would happen.