Deterrence And Discuss The Role Of Communication In Dr Strangehelling

“Deterrence is the art of producing in the mind of the enemy…..the fear to attack” (55:09). This is the quote used by Dr. Strangelove himself to define deterrence. This lines up with Schelling’s definition which is, in simple words, prevention of actions by fear of consequences (Schelling, p. 71). Another common theme in this movie is Brinkmanship, which Schelling defines as “the creation and deployment of a problematic threat. It consists of a deliberate loss of control”. Considering these definitions, one could assume that effective deterrence would require some sort of threat. Without a threat or a fear of consequence, should they attack, the enemy has nothing to lose by attacking. However, without communication there can be no threat, and as we already established, no threat, no fear. This is why communication is such an essential part of deterrence. How can a threat be made if communication is impossible or unclear? There are several instances in the movie “Dr. Strangelove” which emphasize this point.

In doing so, he sent the air force to attack Russia without consent from the president, and cut off communication by confiscating all radios and eliminating contact with the planes using a code that only he knew. This, of course, was not the kind of retaliation that the president had in mind. However, without communication between the president and the planes, neither he, nor anyone else, had any means of stopping the attack on Russia, which would in turn, cause war between the two countries. The commander’s final way of “tying his hands” was committing suicide and letting the knowledge of the code die with