Word: laggard
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...than America's West European allies. Reason: there had already been strains in the alliance over the issue of how to answer Moscow's new threat in Central Asia. The Carter Administration feels that France in particular, and West Germany to a lesser degree, have been somewhat laggard in their response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In addition, Washington is concerned about a proposed West European initiative in the Security Council that could lead to a resolution on Palestinian self-determination. Such a move, American policymakers fear, could upset the Egyptian-Israeli negotiations on autonomy...
...literature leaves no doubt that the Soviet Union intends massively to preempt the instant the leadership has arrived at the conclusion that war is unavoidable. In their view, a nuclear first strike plays in modern warfare a role comparable to that performed by rapid mobilization before 1914: the laggard risks to lose at the very outset, no matter how long the ensuing war. This means that a decision to resort to strategic nuclear weapons is not one likely to confront them on its own merits; rather, it will follow from a decision...