"You can't think that way. Why can't new weapons be used to protect life?" Zog retorted. "Besides, weapons can also prevent wars."
"Prevent wars?" Old El assumed Zog was about to launch into one of his usual sophistries.
"That's right. Let's assume—just assume—that a weapon suddenly appears. Its destructive power is so immense that no faction could withstand the losses from an attack. At the same time, this weapon is in the hands of multiple factions. In that case, wouldn't they all avoid large-scale wars because none of them could accept such losses?" Zog said.
He, for one, didn't believe that things like moral character or a yearning for peace could stop the world from erupting into large-scale wars.
Making the damage so high that no one could afford to fight just seemed more plausible.
Hearing Zog say this, El wanted to object, but after a moment of thought, he stood there, stunned.
"'Make every faction unable to bear the losses of an attack... every...'"
