There Were BGP Anomalies During the Venezuela Blackout

Re:There Were BGP Anomalies During the Venezuela Blackout by JasonADrury on Monday January 05, 2026 @05:35PM (#46506071)

For nuclear deterrence to work in situations like this, it'd also be preferable to have sufficient conventional capabilities that your leadership isn't decapitated before you even notice it's happening. If the attacker is also nuclear-capable, there's little incentive for second person in the chain of command to kill themselves.

Similarly, if a head of state is killed by poison or other similar means, you could hardly expect nuclear retaliation when their successor later discovers what happened.

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Re:There Were BGP Anomalies During the Venezuela Blackout by Ray20 on Tuesday January 06, 2026 @07:14AM (#46511341)

I think nuclear deterrence works even in such situations. The retaliatory system is structured in such a way that after decapitation, the decision to use or not use a nuclear weapon is made not by the "number two" or the "successor" but by a person specifically authorized to do so, about whom the successors and number two may know nothing.

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Re:There Were BGP Anomalies During the Venezuela Blackout by JasonADrury on Tuesday January 06, 2026 @08:25AM (#46511929)

It might, it might not. Of course, you could for example also implant a trigger with a dead man's switch inside your head of state which they could use to launch a strike at any point.

An important part of deterrence is broadcasting that you've done this though. It all works much better if your enemies approximately understand your processes

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