The Strategic Defence Initiative: US Policy and the Soviet Union

Central to US foreign policy, the Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI) was launched by Ronald Reagan in 1983. While the Reagan administration failed to deploy the SDI system, it featured prominently in the relationship between the US and the Soviet Union. This book examines the SDI and the Reagan administration through an evaluation of the role of the SDI at the end of the Cold War. Presenting an extensive range of primary and secondary material together with interviews, the book should be welcomed by academics and upper level students interested in politics and history.

Table of Contents:
Contents: Introduction; The strategic defence initiative; The Soviet reaction to the SDI; The Reykjavik Summit: October 11-12 1986; US-Soviet relations after the Reykjavik Summit; Strategic defence: the post-Cold War and post-September 11 world; Conclusion; Selective bibliography; Index.

About the Author :
Dr Mira Duric graduated from Keele University in 2001. She has been working as a part-time Teaching Assistant at the University of Nottingham from January - June 2003.

Review :
'Mira Duric presents an excellent analysis of the role of SDI in US-Soviet relations in the Reagan era. Her book is an important contribution to the historiography on the Cold War and the Reagan presidency.' Dr Peter Boyle, University of Nottingham, UK 'This is a detailed and well-researched book...Not only does it shed light on how the Cold War ended but it also helps to illuminate the on-going debate about missile defence in the United States. This latter debate, with important implications for both America's allies and adversaries, will remain a key issue in international relations for the foreseeable future.' Dr Wyn Rees, University of Nottingham, UK 'Dr Duric has written one of the most comprehensive explorations of the Reagan administration's efforts to develop SDI and the impact of such policies on the Cold War. This book is a fine addition to the scholarship of the Cold War and US national defense policy. The author's exploration of SDI and the Reagan administration is especially important in light of the continuing debate about national missile defense in the United States and the broader efforts to promote homeland security.' Professor Tom Lansford, The University of Southern Mississippi, USA '...offers a competent survey of the issues and...is clear and based on a thorough study of an extensive literature supplemented by interviews with the key figures in the Reagan administration.' Seer