The Osterhagen Concept

Osterhagen (an anagram for Earth's Gone) is a concept (the name itself comes from Doctor Who) that if a nuclear superpower is about to reach a total defeat in a non-nuclear war they would proceed to launch all of their nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons in order to give the conquering country a severe Pyrrhic Victory or make as much of the planet uninhabitable as possible.

The United States of America has a contingency plan for everything already and I doubt that Russia would bat an eye to utilizing Osterhagen. Do you think that any nation would ever utilize Osterhagen if it found itself in a position of total defeat?

I would hope that no human could obtain such ego. Though I am sad to say, it seems rather plausible. Who knows how anyone would act with the fate of the world at their finger tips, and their backs against a wall and train coming at them. history is for those who desire to make it though.

reply to post by SG-17

Do you think that any nation would ever utilize Osterhagen
if it found itself in a position of total defeat?

M.A.D: Mutually Assured Destruction

It isn't the same. MAD is the stipulation of an outright nuclear war. I specifically stated in my OP that in the case of a non-nuclear war.

Only if the individual with the finger on the button has succumbed to the heart of darkness.

Even if a country with nuclear weapons has authorised a policy for annihilation in the event of defeat by conventional methods, there is no guarantee it will be fulfilled. There may be people of integrity involved who accept honourable defeat and lay down their arms.

Corner Israel, give it no hope of winning, and the sure destruction of its people and see just how simple such a decision is.

At the basic level it simply comes down to if I am going down, then I am taking you with me.

That mindset is the main thing that worries me, especially the fact that the US alone has enough superweapons to make the Earth uninhabitable.