Question

A normal, non-crisis, day-to-day deterrence relationship in which the U.S. deters Russia from launching a nuclear attack against the U.S. because the U.S. has the capacity to retaliate with its own nuclear weapons is best labeled as what type of deterrence?

Answer 1

The deterrence relationship for preventing nuclear warfare between the U.S. and Russia can be labeled as 'mutually assured destruction' or MAD, a stalemate based on second-strike capability ensuring mutual destruction in the event of a nuclear conflict.

Step-by-step explanation:

The normal non-crisis, day-to-day deterrence relationship in which the U.S. deters Russia from launching a nuclear attack is best labeled as mutually assured destruction (MAD). This policy of deterrence depends on the concept of second-strike capability, which is the ability of a nation to launch a significant number of nuclear weapons at an aggressor in retaliation for a nuclear attack, ensuring that both sides would face total destruction in the event of a nuclear war. Both the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War built up immense nuclear arsenals, creating a stalemate where neither would initiate an attack due to the certainty of mutual devastation.