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posted by Fnord666 on Thursday November 29 2018, @08:43AM   Printer-friendly
from the would-you-like-to-play-a-game? dept.

Submitted via IRC for Bytram

The war game that could have ended the world

On 7 November 1983, around 100 senior military officers gathered at Nato headquarters in Brussels to ‘fight’ World War Three. The annual simulation, known as Able Archer, came at the end of a large-scale conventional exercise ­– Autumn Forge – involving tens of thousands of Nato troops across western Europe.

[...] The imagined ‘war’ started when Soviet tanks rolled across the border into Yugoslavia. Scandinavia was invaded next, and soon troops were pouring into Western Europe. Overwhelmed, Nato forces were forced into retreat. A few months after the pretend conflict began, Western governments authorised the use of nuclear weapons.

Role-playing Nato forces launched a single medium range nuclear missile, wiping Ukrainian capital Kiev from the map. It was deployed as a signal, a warning that Nato was prepared to escalate the war. The theory was that this ‘nuclear signalling’ would help cooler heads to prevail. It didn’t work.

By 11 November 1983, global nuclear arsenals had been unleashed. Most of the world was destroyed. Billions were dead. Civilisation ended.

Later that day, the Nato commanders left their building and went home, congratulating themselves on another successful – albeit sobering – exercise. What Western governments only discovered later is that Able Archer 83 came perilously close to instigating a real nuclear war.


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  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 29 2018, @09:18AM (19 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 29 2018, @09:18AM (#767686)

    Putin is the new wargame. Just look at Georgia and then escalation to Crimea. Always deny, provoke and then claim "self defense". Now, they are blockading ports and claiming other side is "escalating".

    With Putin it's like the bully that keeps telling you "stop hitting yourself" while they punch you with your own arm. Then Putin plays the victim, how the west is trying to suppress Russia. The most amazing part is that people still believe this bullshit. Nothing like nationalist blinders to keep you in denial.

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  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by shrewdsheep on Thursday November 29 2018, @09:44AM (4 children)

    by shrewdsheep (5215) on Thursday November 29 2018, @09:44AM (#767689)

    It is control of the media. Putin, Berlusconi (o.k. he is gone), Erdogan. Trump btw does not fall in this category. There seems to be part of US media landscape voluntarily enslaving themselves.

    • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Immerman on Thursday November 29 2018, @03:57PM (3 children)

      by Immerman (3985) on Thursday November 29 2018, @03:57PM (#767757)

      >There seems to be part of US media landscape voluntarily enslaving themselves.

      Are you sure it's voluntary enslavement?

      The vast bulk of U.S. media outlets, both national and local are owned by only a few major conglomerates. Get a few key executives or stockholders in those conglomerates on board with an agenda, by hook or by crook, and you have control over the vast majority of the nation's media. We can already see the same exact same news story scripts being recited in once-local TV News stations around the country, often almost word for word. The only question is the exact source and purpose of the agenda they represent.

      I'd say either someone has leverage on "Corporate", so it's not voluntary. Or "Corporate" has a seat at the table, in which case it's not slavery.

      Unless you're talking about the newscasters themselves - in which case it's "just" wage slavery, amplified by the fact that most of the supposed alternative employers for your chosen profession are in fact owned by the same corporation. Either you voluntarily get on board, or you find another line of work.

  • (Score: 3, Touché) by shortscreen on Thursday November 29 2018, @10:13AM (7 children)

    by shortscreen (2252) on Thursday November 29 2018, @10:13AM (#767693) Journal

    Curse that Putin! With his trillions in military spending and hundreds of foreign bases! He acts like he owns the world!

    Oh, wait. That's someone else.

    • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 29 2018, @12:06PM (4 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 29 2018, @12:06PM (#767712)

      You're right! All countries with a military ARE THE SAME!
      I am sure Ukraine agrees with your brilliant logic!

      • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Thexalon on Thursday November 29 2018, @04:12PM

        by Thexalon (636) on Thursday November 29 2018, @04:12PM (#767767)

        Ukraine? You mean the country where the current anti-Russia government took power in a coup backed by the US and EU, even though a large portion of the country's population was in favor of closer ties to Russia? And where those events put a hostile army right on Russia's border and in control of one of Russia's major naval bases?

        The Russia-Ukraine situation 2014-present isn't all that different from the US-Cuba situation in 1959-1963. Complete with assassination threats, attempted counter-coups and counter-revolutions, and military bases at risk.

        --
        The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
      • (Score: 3, Touché) by shortscreen on Thursday November 29 2018, @07:10PM (2 children)

        by shortscreen (2252) on Thursday November 29 2018, @07:10PM (#767858) Journal

        You're right! All countries with a military ARE THE SAME!
        I am sure Iraq agrees with your brilliant logic!

        FTFY.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 29 2018, @10:45PM (1 child)

          by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 29 2018, @10:45PM (#767977)

          Peaceful Iraq, a country that hadn't invaded a country since anyone could remember? Not in a state of continued post-war hostility?
          Yep, they are JUST LIKE UKRAINE, and US is JUST LIKE RUSSIA.
          Look, if you want to play tit for tat, you're going to run out of "good examples" of American belligerence way before I run out of Russian ones, especially if I bring up the eastern half of Europe.

          • (Score: 2) by shortscreen on Friday November 30 2018, @09:36AM

            by shortscreen (2252) on Friday November 30 2018, @09:36AM (#768218) Journal

            Very funny. Would you like to compare the death toll in Iraq with the one in Ukraine?

    • (Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Thursday November 29 2018, @04:10PM (1 child)

      by tangomargarine (667) on Thursday November 29 2018, @04:10PM (#767763)
      --
      "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
      • (Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Thursday November 29 2018, @04:22PM

        by tangomargarine (667) on Thursday November 29 2018, @04:22PM (#767771)

        Hmm, apparently that doesn't involve the military. Other than a single base in Djibouti nvm

        --
        "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 29 2018, @12:29PM (3 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 29 2018, @12:29PM (#767716)

    I've spent some limited time looking into the recent naval skirmish near Crimea. So far I haven't found enough data/information to form an opinion. Plenty of opinions trusted upon me, but not enough data. I'd appreciate if you can provide some good sources.

    Anyway, you need some history lessons so please look into how the US got involved in WW2 Europe, WW2 vs Japan, Vietnam, Iraq part 1, Korea, and there's probably a few more following the exact pattern you are accusing Russia off. So now, the US has entered Afghanistan, Iraq again, Syria, Yemen, Lybia, ...
    And every single time we hear some bullshit about protecting someone from something, it truly is amazing that you still believe that bullshit.

    Yemen: If you provide training + bombers + bombs + political support to the invading nation, you can't really claim to not be involved. (Oh, and when your ally's tactic is to try and starve half a country, you're not fighting with the good guys.)
    Iraq 2: this one is a bit different, the US just invaded. This was no response to something, they just went in because they could and there was oil. (And they could because 15 Saudi Arabians flew a few planes into NYcity buildings)

    • (Score: 3, Interesting) by tangomargarine on Thursday November 29 2018, @04:07PM (1 child)

      by tangomargarine (667) on Thursday November 29 2018, @04:07PM (#767762)

      Anyway, you need some history lessons so please look into how the US got involved in WW2 Europe, WW2 vs Japan, Vietnam, Iraq part 1, Korea, and there's probably a few more following the exact pattern you are accusing Russia off. So now, the US has entered Afghanistan, Iraq again, Syria, Yemen, Lybia, ...
      And every single time we hear some bullshit about protecting someone from something, it truly is amazing that you still believe that bullshit.

      No duh, we're shitheels too. That doesn't mean we don't call Russia on it. "It takes one to know one"

      how the US got involved in [...] WW2 vs Japan

      We wrote Japan a very sternly-worded letter and wouldn't lift the oil embargo, then they fucking attacked us at Pearl Harbor? Please tell me you're not one of those "it was a conspiracy and FDR wanted them to attack" people.

      Back in the day, honorably declaring war before the attack used to matter (back in the day, declaring war used to matter...). Japan actually tried to time it so that the diplomats would get the declaration a half hour before the planes arrived, but due to security issues the one guy translating the telegram didn't finish it in time.

      Lybia

      Libya.

      --
      "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
      • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 30 2018, @06:11AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 30 2018, @06:11AM (#768186)

        FDR wanted to go to war, of that there is no doubt. He had plenty of good reasons to want to. That Japan finally managed to give it to him was pure foolishness on their part. Even then, it might not have gotten past Congress if Germany hadn't declared war against the US, too. It still blows me away that they did that.

    • (Score: 2) by bzipitidoo on Thursday November 29 2018, @05:50PM

      by bzipitidoo (4388) on Thursday November 29 2018, @05:50PM (#767815) Journal

      Not everyone in the US believes all the propaganda. Especially now, with a pathological liar in the top spot. However, thanks to him, the art of critical thinking could become more fashionable.

      What's especially ridiculous is that even in wars in which the US was definitely a hero, it seems some still aren't satisfied and have to make out that the US was even more saintly than was the case.

      And yes, I've read some things about US meddling in the Ukraine that goes against the prevailing narrative. Went so far as to suggest that the civil war in the Ukraine is as much or more the fault of the US than Russia. A question that used to be asked a lot was "who lost Russia?", as in, were we going to screw up the end of the Cold War, and turn Russia against the US? That question doesn't get asked much anymore. Guess greedy capitalists are losing Russia, maybe have already lost Russia, and the media will not expose their cheating and swindling.

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by The Mighty Buzzard on Thursday November 29 2018, @04:03PM

    by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Thursday November 29 2018, @04:03PM (#767759) Homepage Journal

    It isn't that anyone believes him. It's that nobody wants to do anything about it. Some would like to but don't have the ability, some have the ability but not the balls, some don't care, and some admire him.

    --
    My rights don't end where your fear begins.
  • (Score: 2) by Gaaark on Friday November 30 2018, @04:04PM

    by Gaaark (41) on Friday November 30 2018, @04:04PM (#768320) Journal

    Like the Americans going into foreign countries saying "Dey gots WMD!" and getting away with it even after acknowledging there were no WMD...
    Like Americans going into foreign countries and stirring up shit that is causing ALL manner of problems around the world.

    Is ANY country blameless? MAYBE the Duchy of Grand Fenwick.

    Don't point evil fingers at Putin: he's just the bad guy of the moment...LOOK OVER THERE...just don't look here.

    --
    --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---