This is John Batchel, conversation with my colleague Henry Sikolsky of the Non-Proliferation Policy Education Center.

The question is asked in Europe, with England, Britain, and France looking to work together with their nuclear arsenal to answer the Russian threat,

in the event that Russia uses a nuclear weapon on the Baltic states, would Germany and France

respond?

I give that question to Henry, and he runs with it, bringing in Washington, bringing in

non-nuclear, bringing in a scenario that is not unlikely.

Here's Henry Sikolsky on the day the earth stood still,

Germany and England and France responding to a Russian attack of the Baltic states

where they all speak Russian?

More of this than I.

Well, if I was a European, the only reason I'm even thinking about a French-British assist on nuclear guarantees is because I'm nervous the Americans might not follow through.

And in all fairness, if they can't be clear about whether we would do it, why could

they be all that clear that the French and British would do it? Not only that, but I think they're

getting a little ahead of their forward in their skis here or forward in their stirrups. Why?

There are very clear statements by the Russians that they think they can use their conventional

capabilities that they're developing.

For example, this almost ICBM range Orsonic missile that has 36 subunitions, to get nuclear effects without going nuclear,

such that they can produce a fei accompli without using nuclear weapons.

If that's the case, game's over, you don't even get to the idea that you're going to threaten

a nuclear response, because I cannot imagine the French and British would respond to a conventional

success by the Russians with a nuclear counter threat that they would follow through on.

That would seem to be suicidal, given how many

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