Pre-emptive nuclear first strike

[spot]

The French deploy more nuclear missiles than the Chinese, the British, the Israelis or the Indian Subcontinent.

Some of the French nuclear missiles are carried on strategic submarines.

Perhaps I could ask a what-if question.

What if the French decide it is in their own strategic interest, given that North Korea now has a presumed ability to detonate a nuclear warhead in French Polynesia, to destroy the North Korean leadership and its associated nuclear construction and launch sites. What if they unilaterally fire their multiple warheads against North Korea with that objective, with no prior consultation with any other country?

Is the world at large going to applaud, or will the headlines express disapproval.

[G#Gill]

Always provided that the whole world survives in order to express an opinion. These are extremely touchy times.

[Wandrin]

As soon as the missiles were launched, automatic alarms would be going off in many countries. The French missiles would, depending on where they were launched, probably cross the air space over the US, China, or Russia. Without prior warning, how would those countries know that they are not the intended target? Would semi-automatic retaliation begin at the same time the country(ies) were trying to shoot down the missiles?

Even if the above scenario was avoided, I would predict that the response from the rest of the world would be anger followed by some form of non-military retaliation. "How dare they!"

It would be a very dangerous thing to do.

[spot]

I'm quite sure Le Terrible could manoeuvre itself to 300 miles off the North Korean coast without anyone detecting it, they'd get a clear shot from there without anyone's airspace being compromised. It's what they're for, these strategic nuclear-armed submarines.

Would it be more dangerous for the French to do than for, say, the British?

[Wandrin]

Even from 300 miles, the alarms would go off in S.Korea and China, until the flight path made clear what the target was.

I think it would be equally dangerous for the French or British to do a unilateral strike. Can you imagine the huge egos of Trump and the US politicians being bruised and upstaged? I think there would be UN sanctions as well as economic and other blowback from such an action.

How do you think the French and British citizens would feel/react if their country was to suddenly and unilaterally use nuclear weapons?

[spot]

That leaves me wondering why the current White House thinks is can do it and be popular in the aftermath. I quite agree with you the White House would play merry hell with the French or Brits is we upped and went and did it ourselves without their Presidential say-so.

[magentaflame]

The north korean missile debarcle over japan...imho, was a bullying tactic ,putting a toe over the drawn line so to speak. Japan has a history of disquiet with china..... im sure the world just thinks its another spit from north korea which leaves it squarely on the shoulders of china. ( because lets face it, china is the parent of a very spoilt and naughty boy.

I believe though, if that missle had of gone over a very western white country it would be a very different crisis.
Say if theyd done it over Australia? Immediate condemnation, trade crisis, absolute sanctions and more of our ships in their waters. (Which we are diing at the moment but the anti would sky rocket

[Wandrin]

You just used "current White House" and "thinks" in the same sentence. That's pretty funny!

I don't think that the rest of the world would react well to any country using nuclear weapons in a first strike. Doing so would present dangers for everyone. Some of the US missile silos are so far out of date that they boot with 7" floppies. That is downright scary. Since the defense systems have never had a real world test, I am not confident that semi-automatic overreaction wouldn't occur.

[spot]

Japan has a history of disquiet with china.....

My word, you can be very euphemistic when you feel the need.

You mean the Japanese armed forces spent fifteen years or so on Chinese soil killing millions of unarmed Chinese civilians within living memory. I don't recall that there has ever been a single Japanese citizen, either civilian or military, killed in Japan by a Chinese soldier.

If anyone ever needs to apologize, it's not those on the mainland.

[magentaflame]

Hmmmm. See? ****ting down my leg and telling me its a purring kitten.
So far the world has seen this incident as a regional situatiin. And yes the japs have a hard time aquiring sympathies because of the "living memory atrocities....remember my grandfather was a pow in changi for three years after churchills giving up on singapore! So back off mr. Brit.)

Annnnd...hence me mentioning if it had of been a white western country who has a history of war in korea (in living memory) it would be a totally different situation.