ABSTRACT
Henry Kissinger argues that the US should inhibit aggression by the threat of a general war. He sees that in some areas the US can resist aggression on the ground with conventional forces perhaps backed by nuclear weapons. In other parts of the world, such as “grey areas” Sino–Soviet moves can be prevented only by the threat of a general war which was the rationale for US military policy at the time. An all-or-nothing military policy will also sap the vitality of system of alliances. If assert that nuclear weapons represent the only deterrents to Soviet aggression, one of two consequences becomes almost inevitable: either Allies will feel that any military effort on their part is unnecessary, or they may be led to the conviction that peace is preferable to war almost at any price. An all-or-nothing military policy therefore makes for a paralysis of diplomacy.
