Customer Reviews

Contemporary Nuclear Debates: Missile Defenses, Arms Control, and Arms Races in the Twenty-First Century (Washington Quarterly Readers)

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In light of current events in Iran and North Korea, this book is certainly germane. It asks in part what types of arms races might occur between the US and other countries, and who those might be. What is striking about the book is how dominant the US is, compared to the Cold War, when there was a real feeling that it might not be able to maintain a parity with the Soviets.

Of the countries discussed, only the Russians have the ability to destroy the US. And the book helps keep this in perspective, when considering the capabilities of so-called rogue nations, or those of terrorist groups.

On the topic of being able to intercept a few incoming ballistic missiles, there is sadly little substantive detail about the American ability. Highly classified. Still, hundreds of billions of dollars must have been spent since Reagan began SDI. It would be nice to have some accurate inkling of what all that money bought.