Its noteworthy in combination with what I said above that in Europe there is growing doubt that the US would indeed protect Europe with nuclear arms if the Russians would strike. Would the government in Washington really risk nuclear retaliation against L.A, San Francisco, New york, Chicago, to "defend" places in Europe?
Would Paris accept the annihilation of French cities if the Russians strike first against cities in other NATO countries? Would London?
Dont take it as an offence, but I answer all three question with No. And I have no doubt on that reply.
Nuclear deterrance is a tricky and surprisingly complex affair. In the Ukraine thread two months ago or so I linked to an essay that described how tricky and complex deterrance and escalation
really are. Public opinion takes things for granted on this topic that are not true.
We do not need all those heating pumps for which we will not have enough electricity in the forseeable future anyway (the French already have problems again with droughts and low cooling water levels for their reactors...). We need more war production much more urgently. And desalination plants, it seems.
We are too many.