POLITICS OF PEACE PACTS.

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Abstract

The political aspects of arms control are considered apart from the technical monitoring capabilities of the U. S. and Soviet Union. The author discusses how the Reagan administration has questioned the value of arms control for securing the U. S. and the consequences for the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty and the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI, also called Star Wars) program. It is noted that the SDI may violate other treaties as well if it incorporates the X-ray laser or other so-called nuclear-pumped weapons. Disagreements about Soviet compliance are discussed. Divergences among U. S. Government officials over the extent and significance of alleged Soviet violations are examined. The various U. S. Government agencies involved in gathering and interpreting arms control data are described with respect to political considerations. Changing Soviet views on arms control are examined. It is noted that U. S. Government officials also disagree over the extent to which private diplomacy can persuade the Soviets to change their behavior. The author also briefly discusses multilateral nuclear weapons agreements as a way to depoliticize verification and make the interpretation of data less susceptible to manipulation. Other topics discussed are: cruise missile limitations; building mutual confidence; holding back military innovation; and chemical and biological warfare.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)70-80
Number of pages11
JournalIEEE Spectrum
Volume23
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - 1986

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