What Should Western Response be if Russia uses WMD on Ukraine?

[PLATO]

Seems like a lot of discussion around possible Russian use of WMD. Wondering if there is any credible intel on this somewhere. USA has apparently formed the "Tiger Group" at White house to game out possible responses. What should the West do if Russia uses WMD in Ukraine? How do we avoid it becoming WWIII? If they use WMD, should there be a war to keep the WMD use in the "prohibited" sphere? Hard questions that only the Apolyton Brain trust can answer....

[EPW]

**** it nuke every one

[N35t0r]

The west will not launch nukes.

Total isolation and general conventional attack on the Russian army in and around Ukraine, including any known deposits of tactical WMDs seems most likely (probably heavily weighted towards air attacks, including drones)

[Wezil]

This poll is unfair to Serb. Where is the "Wet our pants and bow down to our new overlords" option?

[giblets]

They're not going to use nuclear or biological weapons right next to their own country, but I answered the poll anyway.

[PLATO]

This poll is unfair to Serb. Where is the "Wet our pants and bow down to our new overlords" option?

Dang it! I knew I forgot something!

[PLATO]

They're not going to use nuclear or biological weapons right next to their own country, but I answered the poll anyway.

I agree that these two are the least likely. It is disturbing how they keep saber rattling with the nukes though. I do think that your omission of chemical weapons from your “not going to use” list is pretty much the way most are thinking now.

Raises an interesting question: Are there WMD the world will accept the use of? Where is that line drawn?

IMHO, the West needs to draw clear lines and do it vocally. Russians understand red lines…not so good with ambiguity.

[giblets]

Didn't Syria use chemical weapons? Obama said something about a "thin red line".

[Uncle Sparky]

Are there any Mossad agents in Moscow or St. Pete's?

[BeBMan]

If we put the "big" options of a full WW3 aside:

I can't imagine doing nothing vs. "smaller" use of chem weapons or in the worst case tactical nukes. That would just open the door for Vlad as he'd understand it as given free hand to do anything without consequences. This would also enable him to blackmail others, far beyond Ukraine. NOT good.

Otoh reacting to it military could lead to a number of escalations and bring us at some point back to the "big" options. NOT good either.

So in the end I don't know, it's above my pay grade

[N35t0r]

Are there any Mossad agents in Moscow or St. Pete's?

Irrelevant, Israel seems to be doing as much as possible to avoid hurting Russia, including banning the sale of hacking tools to Ukraine:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/23/israel-ukraine-pegasus-spyware-russia

[N35t0r]

Didn't Syria use chemical weapons? Obama said something about a "thin red line".

Yeah, but Syria is neither in Europe nor populated by 'white' people. Also technically a civil war.

[Egbert]

The Ukraine is not worth a war for Australia and probably not worth a war for anybody else (excluding Russia and Ukraine themselves). Ukraine is definitely not worth a nuclear war. I can not imagine US risking a retaliatory strike on Los Angeles because the nuked Novgorod to retaliate for Russia nuking Ukraine. Nor can I imagine France or Britain trading a nuked city for a nuked Russian city. I thus rule out a nuclear response.

On the hand if Russia was allowed to get away with nuking the Ukraine into submission that would send a clear signal to the entire world that every country really needs nuclear weapons so I expect every country with any capability will be seriously considering getting their own nukes. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is a peace of paper that is worth only the relative costs and benefits of honouring the treaty. The potential cost increases every time the possibility of being nuked increases.

[PLATO]

Ukraine ranks the following on Natural Resource production:

2nd in Gallium
5th in Germanium
6th in Titanium
7th in Iron
8th in Manganese

They have 3 producing fields of Rare Earths and Lithium

In addition 9% of world's wheat exports and 14% of world's corn exports


Hardly a country not worth fighting for. The question is how much fighting is it worth...clearly the world currently thinks being an arsenal is where that decision lies. That may change though if WMD come into play and the extended threat that may exemplify for other nations. That is the question here. Where is the line where something is worth fighting for? Where does the world set the "red line" where it says "This cannot be allowed"?

[ZEE]

Pull the moon out of orbit and smash it into the earth. It's the only way to be sure.