Coffee Break: Armed Madhouse – Trust Destruction and Nuclear Roulette

Original Report

Nuclear war is often discussed as a weapons problem. It is more accurately understood as a trust problem. As trust between adversaries deteriorates, relationships can move through a predictable...

Nuclear war is often discussed as a weapons problem. It is more accurately understood as a trust problem. As trust between adversaries deteriorates, relationships can move through a predictable sequence of rivalry, suspicion, distrust, hostility, and ultimately existential threat perception. Each stage generates evidence that justifies the next, creating a self-reinforcing cycle that expands the influence of what may be called the War Power ecosystem. In a world of nuclear-armed states, the cycle of trust destruction results in repeated games of nuclear roulette in which global catastrophe is at risk with each spin.