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From: janw@inmet.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Adverse effects of the Abolition of
Message-ID: <7800958@inmet.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 2-Feb-86 05:06:00 EST
Article-I.D.: inmet.7800958
Posted: Sun Feb  2 05:06:00 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 6-Feb-86 21:42:08 EST
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Nf-From: inmet!janw    Feb  2 05:06:00 1986


[ucbvax!brahms!weemba Matthew P Wiener/UCB Math Dept/Berkeley CA 94720]
  [me]
>>That proposal is phony as a  4-dollar  bill.  Give  up  SDI  now,
>>denuke  by year 2000 ! IF they meant what they say about abolish-
>>ing nuclear weapons, why would they object to SDI so  much?   SDI
>>is  only important (if at all) in the *presence* of strategic nu-
>>clear weapons. If Gorbachev meant one half of  his  proposal,  he
>>could drop the other half.

>Why would they object?  I'll tell you why.  The number one personality
>problem Russians have is paranoia!  (I'm not joking.)  
> [paranoia theme developed with respect to completely new, unexpected,
> offensive uses of SDI, unrelated to nuclear weapons]
>Notice that it does not matter whether the above SDI scenario is plausible
>or possible!  If they THINK it could occur, they will of course object.

I don't buy this: (1) this could equally  apply  to  any  defense
research  (anything may grow offshoots) ; but their objections to
SDI are in a class apart; (2) they've spent many, many years  and
enormous  sums of money on SDI: by now, they are much more likely
to fear something known or estimated than  something  quite  unk-
nown;  (3) their decision-making process is very rational, it has
no place for psychotic complexes; (4) they know  American  inten-
tions  and plans very well, through their intelligence: if Ameri-
can first strike has never been in the cards  (as  I  believe  is
true), they know it; (5) Russians are no more paranoid than other
people. This is a myth, like most ethnic stereotypes. If you  are
looking  for paranoia, listen to talk, on the right, of Trilatral
commission; on the left, of Reagan and Falwell. In any case, pro-
perties of Russians in general have little bearing on the mental-
ity of the tiny, select and ethnically diverse group making these
decisions.

Why invoke far-fetched exotic psychology when there is an obvious
reason  for  Soviet  opposition  to  Star  Wars: (1) They believe
(rightly or wrongly) that it may work  -  this  is  confirmed  by
their  own  long-term  commitment  to  it; (2) they know US space
technology and electronics is better; (3) If it worked, it  would
drastically change the correlation of forces.


>--------I find Americans' ignorance of the Soviet Union horrifying.---------
>--(This includes everyone from > above to the great Star Warrior himself.)--

I'll take that as a compliment to my English :-)

			Jan Wasilewsky