Would Obama use a nuke in retaliation?

[stevenleser]

87. No, you aren't getting it. The fear factor is not the same

A dictator, and for that matter, anyone else is not nearly as afraid from a 1000 plane raid on their city using conventional weapons as 1 plane or 1 missile with a nuclear weapon.

You keep saying you think "destroyed is destroyed". No, it isn't. Even lots of conventional explosions have a fairly localized effect. It requires a massive tonnage to generate effects similar to what happened in Dresden or the like.

Nuclear weapons have several effects that even lots of conventional bombs do not have. Even if we consider a small nuke which is what the Hiroshima and Nagasaki weapons (16kt to 20kt) are considered. You have

1. An Electromagnetic pulse which would likely destroy many semi-conductor based electronics within several miles of the targeted city

2. Thermal radiation would cause everyone within 1 mile of the blast not in a reinforced building to be incinerated, everyone within 1.5 miles of the blast to get 3rd degree burns, everyone within 2 miles of the blast would get 2nd degree burns, and everyone within 2.5 miles to get 1st degree burns

3. Ionizing radiation with a lethal dose to anyone within 1 mile of the blast and acute radiation sickness out to 1.5-2 miles

4. Blast damage from overpressure that would destroy most buildings and kill most people within 2-5 miles from the blast and even cause moderate damage to buildings 5-10 miles out.

Again, that is from a relatively tiny yield weapon. If we dial that up to the smallest nuclear weapons that would likely be used in such a scenario, which are in the 50kt range and you can double or triple those mile ranges above.

People who know these things do not have the same fear of a large scale conventional attack.

http://www.carloslabs.com/node/20

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_nuclear_explosions