A USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS TODAY WOULD DEVASTATE DEMOCRACIES Fred Charles Ikle. The Second Coming of the Nuclear Age Foreign Affairs, Vol. 75, No. 1 (Jan. – Feb, 1996), pp. 119-128 Rather than make rash decisions in the wake of the first post-World War II nuclear calamity, the United States should at least think through how best to respond, and prepare some helpful measures beforehand. A nuclear blast would show the vaunted deterrent to be incapable of preventing massive destruction at home it could undermine democratic governments and demoralize military services. As divided and unprepared democratic forces fumbled fora plan of action, demagogues might rush forward, convincingly promising protection. If the era of nonuse should end violently, many countries might freely choose dictatorship to preserve order and survive. Conversely, the principal powers might adopt an ill-conceived scheme for world government that would either degenerate into global tyranny or - far more likely - prove totally ineffective.
