It sounds like you are saying: a) conventional air superiority is a reliable way of being left alone by barbarians, and b) a credible deadman-switch doomsday device is the only way to be left alone by barbarians
I also believe: c) conventional air superiority is not a credible deadman-switch doomsday device,
It seems that at least one of those statements must be false.
there are two types of barbarians, the kind that take a nuke seriously (current nation states) and the kind that are just insane. You use conventional means against the latter. you get supplied with conventional means by the former.
I am now confused.
It sounds like you are saying:
a) conventional air superiority is a reliable way of being left alone by barbarians, and
b) a credible deadman-switch doomsday device is the only way to be left alone by barbarians
I also believe:
c) conventional air superiority is not a credible deadman-switch doomsday device,
It seems that at least one of those statements must be false.
there are two types of barbarians, the kind that take a nuke seriously (current nation states) and the kind that are just insane. You use conventional means against the latter. you get supplied with conventional means by the former.