The vision Reagan held for his SDI was a joint ground and air defense system which would use x ray lasers, particle beams, and magnetically charged cannons to protect the US from the dangers of nuclear missiles. To the public, the concept was far fetched and over priced; they referred to the program as "Star Wars" as a reference to the recent hit movie series produced by LucasFilm. The combination of using space as well as sci-fi type technology led to the association between the two.
Although the United States never developed this system to be working and effective, at the time, the Soviets were unsure whether or not it was possible. Threatened by the idea that the United States could build such a technologically advanced system, along with Reagan's attitude towards the USSR, Soviets feared of an impending nuclear war.
It was not until the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty did both sides agree to destroy and limit the number of close and medium range nuclear warheads, finally taking a step in the direction to prevent nuclear war.
4 comments:
title has a double meaning btw
It is interesting to see how the introduction of SDI changed the balance in MAD and actually raised tensions.
It does seem ironic that the stereotyped Ronald Reagan (as a warmonger) was the one who ended up signing the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty, and generating more peace among both the two world leaders.
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