Word: sdi
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...SDI is a purely defensive, purely peaceful technology." So assured Ronald Reagan two months ago at a campaign rally, in which he compared the Strategic Defense Initiative to the development of radar. But underneath Reagan's soothing words of comfort lie the potentially disastrous realities of his Star Wars proposal...
Most of us are aware that the sticking point at the Iceland summit was whether the U.S. would be allowed to deploy a space-based laser "defense" within the next 10 years. Reagan chided Soviet leader Gorbachev for his fears regarding SDI, asking, "What do the Soviets have to fear? SDI is simply an insurance policy for the United States." However, five recent studies--conducted in the U.S., West Germany and the Soviet Union--suggest otherwise...
THIS IS SOBERING stuff. Instead of SDI being the benificent shield Reagan paints it to be, it would simply elevate the arms race to a new level of terror. As late as November Reagan still claimed that SDI is, "strictly a non-nuclear defense." However, Robert English of the Committee for National Security has predicted that if research showed the use of SDI for offensive purposes, efforts would be directed toward that goal...
...REAGAN AWARE of the offensive capabilities of SDI? If so, is he hiding his motives behind the smoke screen of a "peace shield," or is he simply naive about how future leaders might apply the technology? According to English, Reagan and his Administration are well-informed as to the attack capabilites of Star Wars...
...Reaganites and suggests that he sees the big picture, that "details" are for smaller minds. Yet such detachment can prove dangerous. In preparation for the Iceland summit, Reagan did not study the history and nuances of America's arms-control strategies; instead he practiced ways to sell Gorbachev on SDI. To get himself into the right frame of mind, he read Tom Clancy's Red Storm Rising, a potboiler about a non-nuclear war between NATO and the Soviet bloc. On a political trip the day before he left for Iceland, Reagan passed his time aboard Air Force One chatting...