Avoiding the Unthinkable: Preventing a US-China Nuclear War

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/avoiding-the-unthinkable-preventing-us-china-nuclear-war-12209

THE NATIONAL INTEREST

February 9, 2015

Avoiding the Unthinkable: Preventing a US-China Nuclear War

 

Image: U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Val Gempis

"The goal is to leave everyone in Asia believing that when it comes to solving regional problems, there are better answers than the force of arms."

James Jay Carafano

Washington can't be complacent about its relationship with an antagonistic nuclear power. We’ve known that for more than thirty years, since the Pentagon sponsored a highly classified war game called Proud Prophet.

Conducted in 1983, the game was designed to test the strategy Washington had honed for more than a decade. The United States had always relied on deterrence to prevent war between the superpowers. But, if deterrence failed, the West needed a Plan B—and they had one. If NATO and the Warsaw Pact actually started to trade shots, the alliance strategy would be to manage the conflict: demonstrate resolve, hold its ground and de-escalate the confrontation. It sounded plausible—in theory.