The rules of the game stay forever the same!
Just suppose two boys who have only learned the rules recently playing Go (Weiqi) against each other. Of course their game will just be horrific and determined by bad moves and bad luck but
the two novices will use the same rules, same pieces, same board and hopefully the same spirit of honourable competition as 9th dan champions Chang Hao (常昊) and Lee ChangHo who are currently playing in the finals of the 11th Samsung Cup (mixed amateur/pro k.o. system tournament in Korea).
The situation regarding nuclear strategy is completely analogous: It simply does not matter whether Mahmoud Ahmadinejad believes in resurrection of his beloved 12th Imam, Kim Jong Il is an obnoxious dwarf, George W. Bush a never grown up boy who needs to be advised by ´
daddies men´even after turning sixty.
Nuclear weapons
impose unbreakable strategic rules on human leaders regardless of their ideology or personal capabilities since everyone with a sane mind knows that the consequences of nuclear war (
e. g. even a limited regional war between India and Pakistan with 100 nuke detonations would result in a global catastrophe killing hundreds of millions) are unbearable.
Everyone who talks in ignorance about Iran, North Korea or Pakistan should be aware that the leaders of the ´rogues´ know perfectly about the rules of the game but unfourtunately looking at guys like Bush jr. or Olmert having doubts about their proficiency is completely justified.
China must take irrational moves of western leaders into account since perceived nuclear superiority could lead them to believe that by bullying and blackmailing China they can have their will like in the old days of the Arrow War.Only building up a position of unassailable but also moderate strength will be able to prevent US adventurism. (Your moves against a grandmaster are certainly much less aggressive and far more cautious than against an amateur player for whom you bear no respect!
)
