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Iron Destinies, Lost Opportunities: The Arms Race Between the United States and the Soviet Union, 1945-1987

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There is an ironic aspect to this book and its title. Written in 1988, it decries what it calls lost opportunities in avoiding or minimising the arms race between the US and the Soviet Union. Granted, Morris raised good points and many others at the time shared his concern. But unbeknownst to the author, the Soviet Union was on its last legs. The Cold War is generally considered to have ended a year later, in 89, with the collapse of the Berlin Wall and East Germany.

In retrospect, the author did raise valid concerns. But for all the failings in US foreign policy, the arms race was a major factor in bankrupting the Soviet Union. While the US did take on a large debt burden in its military expenditures, we now know that it had a far stronger economy. Though this was by no means clear at the time.