“Mutually assured destruction” was an ominous Cold War slogan promoting the idea of peace through nuclear firepower. The ultimate existential standoff. 

The world still has its potential nuke-slingers. Does a worst-case worldview still make sense? What does deterrence call for today, as big powers bristle and rogue notions rise? Is trust-building around threats and promises possible? Anna Mulrine Grobe and Sarah Matusek look at the new calculus.

Relatedly, in his Patterns column, Ned Temko looks at how concerns about U.S. isolationism and Russian aggression have Europe thinking about agency and autonomy in defense – about trust, about mutually assured preservation.