Star Wars debate: Strategic Defense Initiative and anti-satellite weapons
President Reagan in the Star Wars speech of March 23, 1983, promised that the Star Wars defense make the world much safer and more peaceful. This dissertation attempts to examine his Star Wars commitment. The hypothesis of this dissertation is the Star Wars would rather enhance the probability of confrontation between the two superpowers. The hypothesis is assessed by several criteria: technological feasibility; compatibility with the ABM treaty; Soviet responses to the SDI program; implications for deterrence and arms control prospects; and implications for the security of NATO Europe. SDI's technological feasibility is very questionable, given that its defensive mission is not only to intercept all incoming warheads, but to overcome Soviet countermeasures and to survive ASAT attacks. SDI's implications for the security of NATO Europe are further negative. While SDI might be an attractive option to address the security dilemma deriving from NATO's conventional inferiority vis-a-vis the Warsaw Pact, it would enhance the probability of Soviet preemption, in light of the Soviet perception that the Pershing II deployment combined with SDI constitutes a US first-strike posture. The Star Wars defense would not make the world much safer and more peaceful, as promised, but rather render international peace and security more precarious and destabilized by increased mutual distrust, suspicion and risk of nuclear war.
- Research Organization:
- Miami Univ., Coral Gables, FL (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 5013922
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION
ARMS CONTROL
CONSTRAINTS
BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
NATO
SECURITY
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
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INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
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290600* - Energy Planning & Policy- Nuclear Energy
350100 - Arms Control- Policy
Negotiations
& Legislation- (1987-)