Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site fisher.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!princeton!astrovax!fisher!david From: david@fisher.UUCP (David Rubin) Newsgroups: net.politics,net.followup Subject: Re: Star Wars Defense Message-ID: <282@fisher.UUCP> Date: Mon, 20-Aug-84 07:47:06 EDT Article-I.D.: fisher.282 Posted: Mon Aug 20 07:47:06 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 21-Aug-84 00:11:12 EDT References: <1742@tekig1.UUCP> Organization: Princeton Univ. Statistics Lines: 39 Why is Star Wars bad? Suppose Star Wars WAS feasible and WAS 95% effective. Pretend also that you were a Soviet leader, and American development of such a system was proceeding apace. You would certainly do all of the following four things: (1) Increase the number of warheads so that the 5% that did get through would be more than sufficient, (2) Put more emphasis on basing systems against which Star Wars is ineffective, e.g. SLBM's, cruise missiles, etc., (3) Develop countermeasures against Star Wars, e.g. killer sattelites, and (4) Develop a Soviet Star Wars system. The result would be that the venerable concept of MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction) would STILL be what prevents nuclear war, and you and the Americans are both umpteen billion dollars in the hole. Of course, it would be absurd for the US to forgo Star Wars unilaterally, but as its deployment would not alter the balance of power for very long, it makes sense to negotiate a mutual ban on such weapons. Just because it is in Soviet interests to do so does not automatically mean it is not in American interests, too. The proponents of Star Wars seem to believe that American defense policy operates in a vacuum or that Soviet policy is so static as to be unable to react to innovations. Let us not repeat the error of MIRV and deploy an expensive weapons system that is destabilizing and brings only momentary advantage. Star Wars will add security only for defense contractors. David Rubin {allegra|astrovax|princeton}!fisher!david