Causes Quote by Noam Chomsky
“Remember that in any major nuclear war, the first strike destroys the country that attacks; it's been known for years. The first strike of a major power is very likely to cause what's called nuclear winter, leads to global famine for years and everything's basically gone. Some survivors straggling around. Could [Donald Trump] do it? Who knows.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Interview on nuclear strategy, 2015
A nuclear first strike would cause immediate devastation and long‑term climate collapse, making survival unlikely; the threat is a deterrent.
In simple terms: First nuclear attacks cause global catastrophe.
Key Takeaway
Recognize the catastrophic stakes of nuclear conflict.
Themes
war
deterrence
environment
humanity
politics
Mood
cautious
serious
Type
analytical
educational
When to use this quote
- policy making
- global security
- environmental planning
Key Concepts
mutually assured destruction
climate impact
nuclear winter
Questions to Reflect On
- What measures can reduce nuclear escalation?
- How can societies prepare for climate fallout?
A Different Perspective
Deterrence relies on rational actors, which may not hold.
![“[Donald] Trump: he'd probably declare in Hiroshima that he'd nuke half of Asia if it would help the West to retain its control over the world. At least one would not harbor any false hopes.” quote by Andre Vltchek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1ee/andre-vltchek-5249_asia_donald-trump-he-d-probably-declare-in-hi_900895.jpg)
![“Surely no rational or realistic person will discount the possibility that [during wartime] the United States might suddenly resort to nuclear weapons. Those who retain the instinct for survival, not to speak of minimal concern for their fellow man, will seek ways to act before rather than after…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a3f/noam-chomsky-42_church_surely-no-rational-or-realistic-person-w_491995.jpg)
![“Any incident could instantly blow up. Both sides [USA and Russia] are modernizing and increasing their military systems, including nuclear systems.” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c94/noam-chomsky-42_blow_any-incident-could-instantly-blow-up-bot_1858061.jpg)
![“Sooner or later there will be a nuclear 9/11 [by Islamic terrorists] in an American city or that of a US ally... A terrorist nuclear attack against an American city could take many forms. A worst case scenario would be the detonation of a nuclear device within a city. Depending upon the size and…” quote by David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/836/david-krieger-24800_allies_sooner-or-later-there-will-be-a-nuclear_2146358.jpg)
![“Over the years, there's been case after case when there were very narrow decisions that had to be made about whether to launch nuclear weapons in serious cases. What is this guy [Donald Trump] going to do if his vaunted negotiating skills fail, if somebody doesn't do what he says? Is he going to…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0a1/noam-chomsky-42_cases_over-the-years-there-s-been-case-after-c_2286764.jpg)
![“I wrote an article about the marine landing [in Haiti] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two months later and I assumed by then, "of course, everybody knows." Nobody knew. There was a news report in the Wall Street Journal, in the petroleum journals, and…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/dc5/noam-chomsky-42_articles_i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-land_13341.jpg)
![“Well the first time I performed, my mom was like how she is now when sees me on stage – all red, smiling from ear to ear. So I don’t want to mess up, [be]cause she’s smiling. Seeing my mom happy is kind of like an overwhelming feeling.” quote by Chris Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/477/chris-brown-1887_causes_well-the-first-time-i-performed-my-mom-w_4699.jpg)