Another very specific item on the ECFR’s list is Manhattan, the central borough in New York City. A nuclear attack on New York would kill untold millions, and perhaps most importantly (from an antagonist’s perspective), cripple the country’s business sector. Manhattan is the world’s primary financial beacon, for example, and wiping it out would send the entire world economy into a tailspin. We’ve seen it once before, too, after 9/11.
Next: We broaden the scope and target the American mainland.