# Trump's Foreign Policy Briefing and use of Nukes **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 4, 2016, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-foreign-policy-briefing-and-use-of-nukes/761718 "2016-08-04T07:38:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2016, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-foreign-policy-briefing-and-use-of-nukes/761718/61 "2016-08-04T19:11:33Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Bullies back down. Who were the bullies in Vietnam? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2016, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-foreign-policy-briefing-and-use-of-nukes/761718/62 "2016-08-04T19:15:23Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Who were the bullies in Vietnam? I’d vote for the Viet Cong. ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2016, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-foreign-policy-briefing-and-use-of-nukes/761718/63 "2016-08-04T19:17:15Z")
It might have changed but the US policy at one point was that chemical or biological attacks on the US could justify a nuclear response. If that standard is in effect, provoked would be any attack with weapons of mass destruction. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2016, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-foreign-policy-briefing-and-use-of-nukes/761718/64 "2016-08-04T19:23:54Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Who were the bullies in Vietnam? I’d say in this hypothetical it’s the assholes who drop nukes on a tiny country, especially since apparently they give no fucks about the South Vietnamese in close range right next door who are supposedly the assholes’ allies, not to mention Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. Jesus. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2016, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-foreign-policy-briefing-and-use-of-nukes/761718/65 "2016-08-04T20:38:58Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I’d vote for the Viet Cong. Backtrack a bit. They’d been fighting the French, then the Japanese, then the French again who wouldn’t back away from their colony and wouldn’t give them independence (despite having promised them to do so if they’d help fight the Japanese). Then when kicked around enough the French agreed to fuck off and for the country to be reunited, provided there would be free elections and the US backed the deal. (VN actually had been divided by the US and UK after WW2, deliberately so that the French couldn’t move back and keep it by force). Except when it looked like the results of said free elections would skew commie (because they were legitimately popular up north, and the other guys were very impopular and corrupt down south) the US backed out of the deal, backed the guy who cancelled the election and sent him “advisors”. Cue escalation and war. Again. The NVA & VC wanted their country to not be somebody else’s chewtoy at long last. They were hardly the bullies of the story. Hell, they went on to fuck up the _actual_ communist bullies next door, even ! ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2016, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-foreign-policy-briefing-and-use-of-nukes/761718/66 "2016-08-04T23:53:19Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > For those who did not get the joke, and half of it took me a second, SiO2 is the chemical formula for quartz. AuH2O is the “formula” for Goldwater, (and a campaign chant) who strongly advocated the use of nukes in the 60’s. > > Unless you are complaining about the non-use of subscripts in the “formulations”, in which case, I think the board lacks support for doing that. I’m “complaining” about the confusion between the capital letter “O” and the numeral “0”, which are not the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-foreign-policy-briefing-and-use-of-nukes/761718/67 "2016-08-05T00:45:43Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > It’s that last word which is the important one. And your strategy involves the US speaking the first word, not the last. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-foreign-policy-briefing-and-use-of-nukes/761718/68 "2016-08-05T01:27:51Z")
> [@tim-n-va](#): > > I read recently that people tend to fact check the things they hope are wrong but not the things they hope are true. I’d like to see something other than second or third hand reports on this one. Hey the host who said it quoted an unnamed source who claimed he’d briefed Trump at a vague time “several months ago.” I loathe Trump but damn this is “Obama’s a secret muslim” weak. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-foreign-policy-briefing-and-use-of-nukes/761718/69 "2016-08-05T01:39:37Z")
> [@DinoR](#): > > Hey the host who said it quoted an unnamed source who claimed he’d briefed Trump at a vague time “several months ago.” I loathe Trump but damn this is “Obama’s a secret muslim” weak. So what? First, it’s totally believable given all the other verified statements we have about Trump. Second, I have no problem using Trump’s own tactics against him. “A lot of people are saying that Trump asked three times why he can’t use Nuclear weapons. I mean, I don’t believe that, I’m not saying that, I’m just saying I heard a lot of smart people say that…” ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-foreign-policy-briefing-and-use-of-nukes/761718/70 "2016-08-05T01:45:06Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > Second, I have no problem using Trump’s own tactics against him. > “A lot of people are saying that Trump asked three times why he can’t use Nuclear weapons. I mean, I don’t believe that, I’m not saying that, I’m just saying I heard a lot of smart people say that…” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-foreign-policy-briefing-and-use-of-nukes/761718/71 "2016-08-05T02:17:54Z")
Someone needs to ask Trump if he’s familiar with the MAD doctrine. Something tells me it’s another one of those things he’s never heard of before. I’d reckon once it’s explained to him he’d insist anyone who follows it is “weak”. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-foreign-policy-briefing-and-use-of-nukes/761718/72 "2016-08-05T02:24:11Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Someone needs to ask Trump if he’s familiar with the MAD doctrine. Something tells me it’s another one of those things he’s never heard of before. > I’d reckon once it’s explained to him he’d insist anyone who follows it is “weak”. “Alfred E. Neuman was my _best_ friend when I was growing up. Terrific ears, really great.” ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-foreign-policy-briefing-and-use-of-nukes/761718/73 "2016-08-05T02:50:29Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > I’d reckon once it’s explained to him he’d insist anyone who follows it is “weak”. He seems to genuinely care about his children. I would hope that eventually the realisation would percolate into his flabby sponge of a brain that starting a Nuclear war means that all his children and grand children will die. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-foreign-policy-briefing-and-use-of-nukes/761718/74 "2016-08-05T03:08:20Z")
> [@DinoR](#): > > Hey the host who said it quoted an unnamed source who claimed he’d briefed Trump at a vague time “several months ago.” I loathe Trump but damn this is “Obama’s a secret muslim” weak. Joe Scarborough obviously has an agenda, but I’m not aware of any reason to think that he is unreliable as a reporter. I assume the source here did not wish, or was not asked, to be quoted by name. In any case, it is entirely consistent with Trump’s recorded, uh, [thoughts in the field](http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/08/04/3804985/7-terrifying-things-donald-trump-publicly-said-nuclear-weapons/). ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-foreign-policy-briefing-and-use-of-nukes/761718/75 "2016-08-05T03:41:26Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > He seems to genuinely care about his children. I would hope that eventually the realisation would percolate into his flabby sponge of a brain that starting a Nuclear war means that all his children and grand children will die. I could not help but to remember the classic _Russians_ from Sting: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/wHylQRVN2Qs/maxresdefault.jpg "Sting - Russians") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHylQRVN2Qs) ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-foreign-policy-briefing-and-use-of-nukes/761718/76 "2016-08-05T03:52:53Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I’d vote for the Viet Cong. Nah–remember, the elections were canceled once it looked like they’d win. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-foreign-policy-briefing-and-use-of-nukes/761718/77 "2016-08-05T04:07:17Z")
So, if they went and dropped an H-Bomb or three on Hanoi and Haiphong Then what? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-foreign-policy-briefing-and-use-of-nukes/761718/78 "2016-08-05T05:33:01Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I’d vote for the Viet Cong. They were in Vietnam, fighting for Vietnam (at least their version of what the country should be). So I’d say they weren’t the bullies. If you follow Quartz’s posts, it’s clear he’s imaging the Soviets as the bullies. He refers to how they got involved in Korea and Cuba and needed to be driven out by America. But the equivalent in Vietnam would be us; we were the country getting involved in another country’s affairs. And we were bullies in the traditional sense that we were the biggest guy around who was trying to impose his views by force. So according to the Quartz Doctrine, somebody should have used a nuclear weapon against American forces in Vietnam. As bullies, we would have immediately backed down and withdrawn from the country. We wouldn’t have attempted to respond with our own nuclear attack. In my opinion, this wouldn’t have been what happened. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-foreign-policy-briefing-and-use-of-nukes/761718/79 "2016-08-05T05:34:02Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > So, if they went and dropped an H-Bomb or three on Hanoi and Haiphong > > Then what? We’d have deployed an I-Bomb and worked our way down the list? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-foreign-policy-briefing-and-use-of-nukes/761718/80 "2016-08-05T05:40:16Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > He seems to genuinely care about his children. I would hope that eventually the realisation would percolate into his flabby sponge of a brain that starting a Nuclear war means that all his children and grand children will die. He’d have his family in a magnificent military bunker with fabulous amenities - best fallout shelter ever! - and if other people’s families die in a nuclear war it’s because they’re losers who didn’t get elected President. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-foreign-policy-briefing-and-use-of-nukes/761718.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-foreign-policy-briefing-and-use-of-nukes/761718.md?page=5)