What would the world be like if the cold war turned hot?

[Trip]

Serious discussion!!

What would the world be like if the Cold War turned hot?

The Soviet Empire had more nuclear weapons than NATO so that gives us a fair idea already. They also had powerful allies.

Washington, London and Moscow would have been primary targets for nuclear weapons. So what would the world be like today if the cold war turned hot?

[RSX WHEEEEEE]

a large amount of people would be dead under their desks in school, because they were taught that hiding under a desk would save you from an atomic bomb.

[slayera]

For one we would not be having this discussion.

[decox]

I don't think the Earth could handle an extensive nuclear war.

[Dead-Inside]

I don't think the Earth could handle an extensive nuclear war.

I do think so though.

But, imagine Fallout minus the unrealistic things.

There you go.

[Dionysos]

Imagine Hiroshima; there are people living there again. And that was ca. 50 years ago, the WMDs are much more advanced and "cleaner" now. People often think about how bad Chernobyl was, but that was a nuclear plant and was much more "dirty".

"Duck and cover!"

I find it hard to imagine it going hot, the soviets would have had difficulties invading the US and vice versa. Bother had WMDs, and that had to result in nobody shooting - assuming no insane general some day got in control.

[Shr3d]

Better question:
What would the world be like if America launched a hydrogen bomb NOW into the middle east?

[slayera]

We would have alot of pissed off middle easterns, at least the ones we did not kill. But maybe they would be so broken they would not have the heart to fight. It took 2 to quell Japan, it would take alot more for the middle east. Also remember that Islam is not equal being Arab.

[Lovro]

Better question:
What would the world be like if America launched a hydrogen bomb NOW into the middle east?

An allout war with Iran, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Iraq, Afganistan (both current governments would fall and any west friendly government in ME countries)

USA would be fought out of middle east (not just because of the massive islamic military onslaught but because of the insane political preshure from EU, Russia, Saudies, Turkey... Bush would have to resign from beeing president, there would be numerous terrorist attacks in USA. Oil prices would go sky high. Izrael would have to defend agaisnt impossible odds and would get nuked by Iran but also nuke Iran and other counties back which would cause ONE BIG MESS.

It is a worst case scenario but USA wont nuke Middle East for shure.

[slayera]

It is a worst case scenario but USA wont nuke Middle East for shure.

I would not take that bet, Bush's heads have all ready had those plans in place if Iran develops a nuke and Israel all ready blew the shit out of one nuclear facility years ago. Israel will not wait for Iran to nuke them first. The Jews learned a hard lesson along time ago not to sit around and wait to see what happens.

[Sorrow]

The Jews learned a hard lesson along time ago not to sit around and wait to see what happens.

I still don't like what they're doing to the Palestinians.
give them some "Lebensraum" hehe.

[firedfns13]

hmm, if say the US had built a bomb bigger than the "Tsar Bomba" (a 50 megaton h bomb detonated by the USSR, with a design scalable up to 100mts at least.) then the middle east would be a glass wasteland, and anyone else stupid enough to try and fight back would probably be eliminated with conventional weapons later...
but every world government would be extremely angry, probably demand sanctions, etc... the UN would probably impose a new government, or attempt to at least... a lot of things would go bad.

and i forgot to mention a 100 megaton bomb could destroy at least a 110 mile radius from detonation... :O thats one freaking big ass bomb!

[Sorrow]

Theoretically you could design an H-bomb the size of what not, the problem is that the explosion occurs at a point when only a few percent (or less, not really sure) of the material has attained fusion and the rest just gets wiped out.

or well it was like that with fission, I bet that it's the same with fusion. correct me if I'm wrong though.

[zombie@computer]

nah, its a chain reaction, more=more explosion

the limiting factor is that a), you have to deliver the bomb and get the hell outta there (limiting size) and b) at some point the bomb directs more force into space than onto the ground, which isnt very efficient.

[Sorrow]

no no there's a limit to the mass of the stuff, at some point you can't go further because the amount of plutonium or whatever becomes unstable and will explode on its own or something along those lines.
only 3 percent of the stuff explodes in that chain reaction, if everything would be converted to energy you'd blow up a whole lot more IIRC