As A Leader What Would You Do?

[Atrocities]

As a leader of a mighty space empire, would you tollorate a smaller religiously zealot lead empire who has sworn to destroy one of your allies, and openly opposes and supports terrorism against your empire, from developing sun destroying weapons?

In other words, what would you do if you were facing an Iran situation in one of your games?

[Renegade 13]

Wipe 'em out. Leave nothing but a pile of radioactive, glowing glass.

Yes, I'm a little violent!

[Strategia_In_Ultima]

I'd try to reason with them, but I'd ready my Special Forces at the same time, in case the talks go wrong. Steal all their research and the resources necessary to make (solar) nukes, abduct or kill the scientists (I'd prefer abduct, but if that's impossible, well shucks then, snipe 'em) and put pressure on the leader(s). But only if I'd run out of other options.

[Renegade 13]

Strategia_In_Ultima said:
I'd try to reason with them, but I'd ready my Special Forces at the same time, in case the talks go wrong. Steal all their research and the resources necessary to make (solar) nukes, abduct or kill the scientists (I'd prefer abduct, but if that's impossible, well shucks then, snipe 'em) and put pressure on the leader(s). But only if I'd run out of other options.

Impractical.

Stealing research in this day and age is impossible. There would be so many back-ups and copies you'd never get all of them. No point even trying that. Steal a bunch of highly refined uranium from a hostile country? Good luck. Abduct or kill the scientists? Sure, why not stoop to the level of a terrorist, which is what you'd be if you went in and started blowing people away for the sole reason that you think you're the only one with the right to have nukes.

Put pressure on a religious zealot that hates you? How? Not when they have you by the short hairs with regards to a resource you don't have enough of...

Only options; Flatten the nation. And I don't mean go in there with troops, that's doomed to failure. I mean flatten literally. As in, carpet bombing. Or stay out of it. Only practical solutions in this day and age.

[Strategia_In_Ultima]

Renegade 13 said:

Impractical.

Stealing research in this day and age is impossible. There would be so many back-ups and copies you'd never get all of them. No point even trying that.

So, steal any research we can, destroy the rest, and if they try and do it again just send in military forces before they can finish research again.

Steal a bunch of highly refined uranium from a hostile country? Good luck.

Steal it, destroy it, meh. Bomb the refining plants. Boom bada boom, and you might not have destroyed all the uranium but you can also put back their research if you bomb the right plants.

Abduct or kill the scientists? Sure, why not stoop to the level of a terrorist, which is what you'd be if you went in and started blowing people away for the sole reason that you think you're the only one with the right to have nukes.

I said (though maybe not clearly) that abduction would be my preferred method of "elimination"; I'd kill them ONLY if we'd run out of options. Abducting them does not mean "put them in Guantanamo", at least to me; to me, it means "keep them alive but have them locked up safely where you can keep an eye on them until they can no longer do harm".

Put pressure on a religious zealot that hates you? How? Not when they have you by the short hairs with regards to a resource you don't have enough of...

Once (if) we've taken/killed their scientists, disabled their refining plants, set back their research programme by years, possibly decades, they'll be at least slightly more..... agreeable. Agreed, religious zealots won't; but putting pressure on them is easier. Even if "putting pressure on them" means "stationing troops just outside their border ready to invade at any time". That's pressure too, you know.

Only options; Flatten the nation. And I don't mean go in there with troops, that's doomed to failure. I mean flatten literally. As in, carpet bombing.

Ooh, now that's a bad idea. Flattening the research and production facilities, OK, but flattening the nation? And how do you think the rest of your allies would react?

Or stay out of it. Only practical solutions in this day and age.

Touch�.

I was only talking from a fictional standpoint, not the current situation. IF I were a superpower (cough,cough) and IF a nation of religious zealots..... et cetera.

[Atrocities]

Personally I would leave them alone. Let them develop whatever they want. They have the right to do so as a nation of this planet. Who are we to say "NO!" Until they use said weapons against another country or are linked to the use of a nuke they have the right to research, manufacture, and posess said weapons.

However if they ever use them, or are linked to the use of one of them, then yes, let the holly war of retribution begin.

[Renegade 13]

Strategia_In_Ultima said:

So, steal any research we can, destroy the rest, and if they try and do it again just send in military forces before they can finish research again.

Agreed, you could set them back. But you couldn't get rid of the research that is already completed, I think.

Steal it, destroy it, meh. Bomb the refining plants. Boom bada boom, and you might not have destroyed all the uranium but you can also put back their research if you bomb the right plants.

Bomb a uranium refining plant? That'd spread enough radioactive dust around that you might as well just carbet bomb!

I said (though maybe not clearly) that abduction would be my preferred method of "elimination"; I'd kill them ONLY if we'd run out of options. Abducting them does not mean "put them in Guantanamo", at least to me; to me, it means "keep them alive but have them locked up safely where you can keep an eye on them until they can no longer do harm".

Actually, I just missed the part about abducting as a first measure! But either way, the point is the same. Abducting and possibly killing people...reminds me of modern-day terrorists!

Once (if) we've taken/killed their scientists, disabled their refining plants, set back their research programme by years, possibly decades, they'll be at least slightly more..... agreeable. Agreed, religious zealots won't; but putting pressure on them is easier. Even if "putting pressure on them" means "stationing troops just outside their border ready to invade at any time". That's pressure too, you know.

Agreed, that's quite a bit of pressure! The problem would be executing all of the above without already starting a war you couldn't really win...

Ooh, now that's a bad idea. Flattening the research and production facilities, OK, but flattening the nation? And how do you think the rest of your allies would react?

It may sound cold, but I'd be in favor of it. What else can you do? You can't send in troops, we all know where that'd get you. You can't make idle threats, that's kinda useless as well. Leave you with two options in a religiously fanatical country; either kill them all, or leave them alone.

Touch�.

I was only talking from a fictional standpoint, not the current situation. IF I were a superpower (cough,cough) and IF a nation of religious zealots..... et cetera.

Of course, this is a totally hypothetical conversation!

[Renegade 13]

Atrocities said:
Personally I would leave them alone. Let them develop whatever they want. They have the right to do so as a nation of this planet. Who are we to say "NO!" Until they use said weapons against another country or are linked to the use of a nuke they have the right to research, manufacture, and posess said weapons.

However if they ever use them, or are linked to the use of one of them, then yes, let the holly war of retribution begin.

This is my thinking as well. Why should some people have the right to have as many nukes as they want, while others don't? What give anyone the right to determine that?

[Atrocities]

In context I would say no one. I don't fear the crazy religious zealot lead nation that has nukes, I fear the crazy assed religious zealot with one nuke.

I want Iran to develop nukes, I want them to use them so that we will have an excuse [censored]. My belief is simple, give them enough rope and let them do it to themselves.

I would hope that they would not ever use such a weapon and I believe that it is fundamentally their choice to do so, as it is ours to retalate upon its use if deployed against us or an ally.

[Azselendor]

And how many people have to die in order to justify going after Iran in that matter Atrocities? In the case of nuclear weapons, preventative action is neccassary action. I think going into Iraq was a stupid idea because Iran is the bigger threat. Should've gone real WMD's in Iran instead of chasing phantom WMD's in Iraq.