News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on NSA leaker is a patriot, not a traitor. Parent comment

Re:NSA leaker is a patriot, not a traitor by aheilbut on Monday June 10, 2013 @11:44PM (#5859533)
That strategy demonstrably worked -- we got through the Cold War.

The problem is you can't always assume that the other guy has good intentions. If they're rational, then mutually assured destruction keeps everyone rational. If they're crazy, then that certainly is a problem, which is why there is enormous effort put into preventing proliferation and containing the capabilities of countries like North Korea and Iran.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:NSA leaker is a patriot, not a traitor by flyinRyan on Tuesday June 11, 2013 @04:08AM (#5860398)
You think mutually assured destruction is going to keep an Islamic extremist group rational?
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:NSA leaker is a patriot, not a traitor by potatolicious on Tuesday June 11, 2013 @11:20AM (#5862272)
Islamic extremists are not the only security threat to the USA. We continue to exist in a relativel tense peace with China, Russia, and other nation-states.

The ability to drop a bunch of nukes on someone on short notice is not to deter terrorists, it's to deter nation states - anywhere between North Korea through Pakistan.

The existence of nukes and the submarines that carry them is almost entirely orthogonal to the (relatively new) thread of terrorism.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:NSA leaker is a patriot, not a traitor by mpyne on Tuesday June 11, 2013 @07:48AM (#5861061)
No, that's what the NSA and CIA is for. :P

I realize it's a circular argument, but MAD is for other nuclear nations (or future nuclear nations).

[ Parent | on HN ]