A certain nation's rebels have nukes. They are secretly bombing your nation. (See details for the rest.)?

Question

Let's say nation X has rebels that hate your nation. They have just purchased some nukes from the black market. They sneak one into a main city in your nation. Boom, millions dead. The country its from didn't order it, but it was done by a rebel faction. You ask for justice, but they say they have nothing to do with it, it's rebels. So you beef up security, and your nation lives in fear. But again, another city falls, millions more die. Again they say it's the rebels, not their problem. They won't fix the problem, and won't allow you to send troops in to get them. They are spread over the country anyways. The international community feels for you but says you shouldn't retalitate and possibly kill their innocent civilians. What would you do? (this is not a fight or no fight question, you can do anything.)

To clarify, this is not a trick question. There are no wrong answers here. And I am not trying to make a similar comparisson to the Iraq War, North Korea situation, etc. Just merely asking if a terrorist/rebel group was assaulting you from a country, and the country is doing nothing to stop it, what do you do? The whole international support thing not being currently available is just a complication I threw in to see if people would comment on it. Though I assure everyone this is not meant to make anyone sound bad or anything, I'm just curious.

Also, your country does not have to be the USA. Your country can be any country.

Answer 1

Country X is supporting terrorism through their inaction. If they won't do something to stop the deaths of millions of your people, you should be well within your rights to hold them accountable for the actions of their citizens, rebels or not. If you have to take them out just to fight the rebels on their home turf instead of yours, then so be it.

Answer 2

Let me give you an example of how this goes down. Say your North Korea and you test a missile that is capable of hitting the US. Everyone knows North Korea has Nukes and can now hit the US with them. So the US being the prudent nation it is evaluates its nuclear policy considering this new information. The new plan considers what the US would do if a nuclear attack came from North Korea. I can tell you that it is very likely that the US would launch a major retaliatory strike designed to completely destroy North Korea.

Now China is aware of what the New threat might mean to its security situation as well. They understand that the US might respond with a full scale nuclear retaliation against North Korea that could be an attack on China as well. The US anticipates the possibility of Chinese intervention and realizes it must hit China as well as North Korea to prevent the Chinese from launching an attack on the US first.

Its not complicated, if this country is attacked even in the way in which you described someone is going to pay and in the confusion it isn't going to matter if you pulled the trigger or not. Just being in the neighbor hood will be enough reason.

I hope you can see why nations like North Korea and Iran cannot be allowed to have the capacity to start a global nuclear exchange.

Answer 3

First, you've got to ask why anyone would want to nuke the USA. It's not because they hate our freedom (we don't have any). It's not because of our decadent lifestyle (we're no more decadent than anyone else). It's because we have taken it upon ourselves to become the world's policeman, sticking our nose where it doesn't belong instead of minding our own business like we should. They're not, for example, nuking Switzerland, which historically tends toward neutrality in all foreign affairs.

To directly answer your question, I would bring American troops home to defend America on American soil, closing all military bases that are not within the 50 states. Then I would apologize to all the world for America's past foreign excursions, and push for a Constitutional Amendment that limits foreign military activity to Congressionally Declared wars.

This may not prevent another nuking. Nothing will for certain. Grudges could last a long time. But after a while, the world will begin to think of Uncle Sam as the kind neighbor down the street who is friendly to everyone and a threat to none. Who would attack kindly old Uncle Sam? And if anyone did, the whole world would come to his aid.

Answer 4

If they had nukes they wouldn't be rebels they'd be the primaries in that nation - they wouldn't get a second chance under either circumstance . Massive retaliation , end of threat..

Answer 5

just what are u saying here ,is this a trick question trying to hang an american with it , just curious?