I find it highly annoying that Israel's "Our first response to any mass
offensive is nuclear" is an example of "We'd like to have something
usable afterwards".
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[Patriotism Mode ON]
Don't try to ensure a reply by opposing my state's policy. I'd always be
too busy.
[Patriotism Mode OFF]
Anyway, your claim is mostly incorrect.
When civilian population (including me :o) was bombed night-by-night for
something like three months, we did not respond at all, although we
could launch a nuclear attack on Iraq without being harmed by fallout.
And it wasn't such a wise PM to make that decision, in fact he was as
dumb as the current one.
Only a Samson Case would lead to the use of nuclear weapons - Israel's
immediate response to a non-conventional offensive which will assuredly
destory Israel will be nuclear. The U.S. is far more hot on the trigger
in this field.
Anyway, as A.C. Clarke described in a short story of his, that response
isn't so certain either, since once you're already destroyed there's no
use to destroy the enemy.
If you consider 'Our first response to any mass offensive is nuclear' as
an example of 'We'd like to have something usable afterwards', then what
isn't 'We'd like to have something usable afterwards'?
Lior.