Far from deterring attacks it makes the survivor angrier and more desperate for revenge.
It's true that America's nuclear weapons still offer the hope of deterring attacks from countries like North Korea and, if it soon goes nuclear, Iran.
That commitment has long been considered a central element of deterring attacks in Europe, especially against smaller and weaker nations like Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which joined after the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Mr. Eskriett credits heightened security measures after a spate of bombings in the early 1990's with deterring attacks in central London, including encircling the financial district, called the City, with what has become known as the "ring of steel".
"We can and should limit the role of our nuclear weapons to a core deterrence mission," he added, noting that deterring attacks on the United States and its allies "requires far fewer nuclear warheads and delivery systems".
It would want a first bomb to test (proving its nuclear capacity) and three or four more to deter attack.
The reduction of the American force, in place for decades to deter attack from North Korea, would be the first since 1992, when about 7,000 troops were withdrawn.
If it is prepared to use such "human shields" to deter attack, could it not use human sacrifices to gain a public-relations victory?
The things that worked best -- a sufficient arsenal to deter attack, the diplomacy of containment, the painstaking business of arms control -- were imperfect and complicated.
In the end, a military strategy devised to deter attack by the Soviet Union will have outlived its original enemy by at least half a century.
