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Monday, September 17, 2012

How's That Deterrence Confidence Holding?

Are you sure you want to count on deterrence to prevent Iran from using nuclear weapons?

Israel might very well be on the verge of launching a conventional attack on Iran's nuclear infrastructure. Iran doesn't want Israel to do that. So Iran warns Israel:

"Our response to Israel is clear: I think nothing will remain of Israel (should it attack Iran). Given Israel's small land area and its vulnerability to a massive volume of Iran's missiles, I don't think any spot in Israel will remain safe," he said.

Bold words.

Hey, wait. Doesn't deterrence theory require Iran to be too afraid of an Israeli nuclear retaliation to launch a massive attack on Israel's cities?