Mutual Assured Destruction

American  

noun

1. a U.S. doctrine of reciprocal deterrence resting on the U.S. and Soviet Union each being able to inflict unacceptable damage on the other in retaliation for a nuclear attack.

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Example Sentences

It doesn’t solve everything, but mutual assured destruction worked passably well for 70 years to hold off nuclear Armageddon.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

It ended a war and has so far convinced the nations of the world that mutual assured destruction has no winners.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 21, 2023

As the Cold War evolved, they cooperated to reduce the risk of mutual assured destruction through arms control treaties, a hotline between Moscow and Washington, and regular contacts between U.S. and Soviet officials.

From Salon • Mar. 30, 2022

Made at a time when the theory of mutual assured destruction was a prominent fear in much of the world, the film posits a “canceler” that can disable nuclear weapons.

From New York Times • Mar. 1, 2022

One could argue that the mutual assured destruction between the Soviet Union and the United States created the longest period of peace between major powers in modern history.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 1, 2019