History Main / MutuallyAssuredDestruction

* Discussed in ''Literature/TheHungerGames'' Mockingjay. While the movie only mentions the [[LaResistance rebels]] have a "special weapon", the book explicitly states both opposing side in the war posses nuclear missiles and any use of those would ensure mutual destruction of both parties, resulting in [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the end of the human race]].

* ''Film/TheSoldier''. RenegadeRussian KGB operatives pose as terrorists and plant an atomic bomb in the Middle Eastern oilfields. If the US doesn't force the Israelis off the West Bank, they will irradiate the world's oil supply. In response the Soldier's Force take over an ICBM silo and threaten to launch on Moscow if the KGB doesn't cancel the operation.

The goal of a MAD strategy is counter-intuitive: it is not to win a nuclear war, but actually to ''prevent'' one. The theory goes that if each side knows that there is no way it can survive a nuclear war, it will get too scared to start one. Unless one or more of the superpowers decides on TakingYouWithMe or is ruled by an OmnicidalManiac, the idea is that knowing that [[Film/WarGames "the only winning move is not to play"]] will keep either side from escalating matters to the point that mutual destruction becomes inevitable.

One of the theories for why the UsefulNotes/ColdWar ended [[TheGreatPoliticsMessUp as peacefully as it did]] is that belief in this doctrine prevented the US and USSR from fighting any war directly against each other, for fear it would escalate to nuclear weapons and destroy both powers. Instead, it became a war of ideologies and economics, and [[WrittenByTheWinners according to the victors]], the US eventually out-converted and out-spent the Soviets, who then collapsed under the weight of their own system.[[labelnote:*]]This was not too far from the truth, but the reality was that the Soviet system was really good at lying to itself, and their economy had been in the shitter long before the Reagan era arms race. They were doomed either way, but the competition might have sped the process up a little.[[/labelnote]]

* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'': Discussed. When the galaxy was bound by a PortalNetwork, there was no Mutually Assured Destruction; the wormgates limited the size of ships that could use them, meaning that it was far easier to defend a system than attack. With the invention of the [[{{Teleportation}} teraport]], that limit was removed, edging the galaxy closer to MAD--but the use of [[TeleportInterdiction Teraport Area Denial]] prevented the most dangerous uses of the technology. Then "long-guns" were invented, giant cannons that shoot through hyperspace and overwhelm TAD; with proper location data, they can shoot at anywhere in the galaxy from anywhere in the galaxy. The galaxy was well and truly back in a state of MAD, since there was no defense. The various galactic leaders insist that while this system is terrifying, that's why it works; no one likes the fail state. [[DeusEstMachina Petey]] points out that eventually they'll find someone who ''does'' like the fail state, and then the entire galaxy will die, so they need to find a better solution. Finally, there have been multiple previous epochs of galactic history that were destroyed by failed MAD policies. The very rare surviving species call the long-guns "end-guns" for this reason.

** The Doomsday Machine was speculated to have been intended as the ultimate deterrent, "a weapon built primarily as a bluff. It's never meant to be used. So strong, it could destroy both sides in a war". But then someone actually used it. However, many ExpandedUniverse materials suggest that it was actually built as a weapon against the Borg.

Your end is at hand if they blow.

* Comes up with regard to Soulcutter in the ''Literature/BookOfSwords''. When drawn, the blade projects an aura of such absolute despair and apathy that anyone within miles of the drawn Sword can do nothing but lie down and wait to die. The thing is, the bearer of the Sword is ''not'' immune to this effect, so drawing the Sword is essentially a suicide attack and it's more common for the bearer to use the ''threat'' of drawing it as a bargaining chip.

* ''Series/{{Community}}''
** One episode had Professor Duncan abuse Chang by using his restraining order to torment the guy. By the end of the episode, it is shown that Chang has gotten his own restraining order on Duncan, who then states the name of the trope.

[[caption-width-right:327:VideoGame/TheNewOrderLastDaysOfEurope So long.]]

[[caption-width-right:327:''VideoGame/{{DEFCON}}'' illustrates [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt how devastating]] this theory could be in practice.]]

* [[https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/2014-03-30 SMBC's Jack and the accidental invention of high-fantasy drop warheads]].

Needless to say, this theory made people on all sides of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar very nervous. Indeed, before [[TheGreatPoliticsMessUp the end of the Cold War]], most academics thought the acronym "MAD" was appropriate - the strategy seemed insane.[[labelnote:*]]To be fair, hindsight reveals that most politicians on both sides ''also'' thought it was insane, but didn't have any better alternative: nukes were a way of life since the 50's and the genie couldn't be put back in the bottle. This is also why the various nuclear weapon reduction treaties were so contentious and difficult: SALT and START faced the prospect of reducing nuclear stockpiles from "We can kill everything everywhere several times over" to "If we fired our missiles just right, we might win now."[[/labelnote]] It may come up in hypothetical WorldWarIII scenarios or works set in the late-era (1980s) of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar. With the fall of the Soviet Union, MAD has lost its value as the focus shifts to combating [[TheWarOnTerror terrorists]] who do not have access to a large stockpile of nuclear weapons.

* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'': Discussed. When the galaxy was bound by a PortalNetwork, there was no Mutually Assured Destruction; the wormgates limited the size of ships that could use them, meaning that it was far easier to defend a system than attack. With the invention of the [[{{Teleportation}} teraport]], that limit was removed, edging the galaxy closer to MAD--but the use of [[TeleportInterdiction Teraport Area Denial]] prevented the most dangerous uses of the technology. Then "long-guns" were invented, giant cannons that shoot through hyperspace and overwhelm TAD; with proper location data, they can shoot at anywhere in the galaxy from anywhere in the galaxy. The galaxy was well and truly back in a state of MAD, since there was no defense. The various galactic leaders insist that while this system is terrifying, that's why it works; no one likes the fail state. [[DeusEstMachina Petey]] points out that eventually they'll find someone who ''does'' like the fail state, and then the entire galaxy will die, so they need to find a better solution[[note]]Turns out there is someone who loves the fail state: they're in another galaxy. And they're not made of regular matter so they love the prospect of watching not-matter burn on a galactic scale[[/note]]. Finally, there have been multiple previous epochs of galactic history that were destroyed by failed MAD policies. The very rare surviving species call the long-guns "end-guns" for this reason.

* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'': Discussed. When the galaxy was bound by a PortalNetwork, there was no Mutually Assured Destruction; the wormgates limited the size of ships that could use them, meaning that it was far easier to defend a system than attack. With the invention of the [[{{Teleportation}} teraport]], that limit was removed, edging the galaxy closer to MAD--but the use of [[TeleportInterdiction Teraport Area Denial]] prevented the most dangerous uses of the technology. Then "long-guns" were invented, giant cannons that shoot through hyperspace and overwhelm TAD; with proper location data, they can shoot at anywhere in the galaxy from anywhere in the galaxy. The galaxy was well and truly back in a state of MAD, since there was no defense. The various galactic leaders insist that while this system is terrifying, that's why it works; no one likes the fail state. [[DeusEstMachina Petey]] points out that eventually they'll find someone who ''does'' like the fail state, and then the entire galaxy will die, so they need to find a better solution. Finally, there have been multiple previous epochs of galactic history that were destroyed by failed MAD policies. The very rare surviving species call the long-guns "end-guns" for this reason.

* ''Fanfic/FalloutEquestria'': Fluttershy, as Equestria's Minister of Peace, created the megaspells as a part of the CARE initiative (Communally Assured Reciprocal Existence) with the intention of it being used to augment shields and healing magic. She gave the technology to both sides of the pony/zebra war, hoping that if neither side would kill the other, both would give up on the war. It took both sides about four seconds to weaponize it instead. But of course, neither side could use them without being annihilated by the other side, forcing them to fight a traditional war. [[spoiler:When the zebras were on the cusp of defeat, they used their megaspells, Equestria responded with their own, and that was the end. Since the zebras believed that they would never survive surrender, they had nothing to lose by just going all-in]].

* The backstory of ''Fanfic/FalloutEquestria'' was that the megaspell was created and given to both sides to invoke this scenario and end the pony/zebra war. However, when the zebras believed they were doomed to lose the war anyway, they decided to go the "TakingYouWithMe" route and both sides ended up flinging them off.
** [[spoiler: The truth is a little more complicated. Equestria's Minister of Peace created the megaspell as a part of the CARE initiative (Communually Assured Reciprocal Existence) with the intention of it being used to augment shields and healing magic. She gave the technology to both sides, hoping that if neither side would kill the other, both would give up on the war. It took both sides about four seconds to weaponize it instead.]]