[euroderf]

> There’s also the argument that using nuclear weapons make sense when a nuclear state has a weaker conventional force that its opponent.

Facing the Warsaw Pact, the US never renounced first use of nuclear weapons.

[mkfs]

Which is actually quite unfortunate, given that China, our closest rival, has an avowed "no first use" policy. Sanctity of human life and fundamental reciprocity would behoove us to at least, with respect to them, adopt an equivalent posture.

[euroderf]

One might counterargue that in a fair fight (i.e. all-conventional), China might clean our clocks. And they certainly have lots of domestic political reasons to start a wholly unnecessary war.