America's Nuclear Ferment: Opportunities for Change

Abstract

Unprecedented public concern about nuclear weapons and nuclear war has been brought about by the bellicose rhetoric of the Reagan administration and preparations to fight and win a nuclear war. But Americans still for the most part share a profound fear and mistrust of the Soviet Union. Many of our more alarmist assumptions about Soviet aggressive intentions do not seem well founded. The vague concept of deterrence, used to justify everything we do in the nuclear area, has become a meaningless slogan. In our military planning we pay slight attention to how the Soviets may actually perceive our so-called deterrent actions. Ultimately nuclear weapons must be eliminated. For the forseeable future, a restrained nuclear weapons program limiting both the United States and the USSR to a retaliatory nuclear force posture is our best hope. The United States, Europe, and the Soviet Union must begin now to plan for vastly expanded cooperation and understanding if we are to prosper in the twenty-first century.