In 1983, President Reagan proposed the Strategic Defense Initiative to the American public via national television. The SDI program, later called Star Wars after the movie, called for the implementation of anti ballistic missiles that would be able to destroy any Soviet attack. Reagan talked about having these anti-ballistic missiles on the ground, in the air, in the sea, and also in space. He had become interested in the idea of lasers and microwaves that could be used to destroy missiles. The idea of having lasers in space that could defend America seemed a bit too futuristic for the American people, which is why they called the SDI program Star Wars.
Reagan didn’t like the MAD doctrine, because he was afraid that it wasn’t a good policy to stand by. Reagan being a very moral man deemed a better defense system that could save his people would be absolutely necessary. Reagan thought that it was possible to have this space system after hearing Edward Teller, one of the creators of the Hydrogen bomb, say it could be possible. While this futuristic view of safety seemed great to Reagan, not everybody agreed with him.
Many people didn’t like this idea of Reagan’s Star Wars. They thought this new anti ballistic system would destabilize MAD. By making the U.S. safe from attacks, and having the Soviets defenseless, nuclear war seemed like a bigger possibility. Also, people were afraid of the Soviets reactions to this proposal. They had only denied the Soviets from using their ABM’s with a treaty signed by Nixon 11 years prior.
Funding for the SDI program lasted from 1983 to Bill Clinton’s presidency. It was poorly funded during certain presidents’ time in office. The project was still used for propaganda, however. The United States used the program to scare the Soviets into negotiating over nuclear arms. The extreme pushback from the people wasn’t what caused Star Wars never to become a reality, it was the futuristic nature of the project.
Source: https://www.atomicheritage.org/history/strategic-defense-initiative-sdi
I thought it was interesting how they named it over a movie. Also, how was Star Wars used in propaganda in America? Did it change how they viewed the Cold War?
ReplyDeleteI am really interested in how Reagan wanted to have anti-ballistic missiles in space despite the much greater efficiency of offensive weapons compared to defensive weapons. It is also interesting how Americans pushed back against Star Wars due to potentially destabilizing MAD, just how they pushed back against Soviet development of anti-ballistic missiles for the same reason. Finally, I think there is a parallel to be drawn between the Star Wars as described in Reagan's initiative, and the concepts behind Legend of the Galactic Heroes, a show sometimes referred to as "Star Wars" by fans. In both situations, there is a conflict between two immense superpowers, one democratic (USA / Free Planets Alliance) and one more dictatorial (Soviet Union / Galactic Empire). Rather than good-evil conflict as in the original Star Wars, or the good-evil perception of the Cold War, LOTGH portrays a much more two-sided view of the conflict.
ReplyDeleteDoes this not conflict with demilitarization of space contracts?
ReplyDeleteThis is very cool post. I think that it is interesting that Reagan was thinking about defense in space. It also interesting that it was so controversial because of the fear that it would destabilize MAD.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post, and I liked how you analyzed the perspectives of Reagan and the American people. I found it very interesting how the Strategic Defense Initiative had a significant impact on United States-Soviet Union relations and ultimately played a role in the downfall of the Soviet Union. Daniel, in response to your question, the SDI does not violate the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which does not ban military activities within space or the weaponization of space, with the exception of the placement of weapons of mass destruction in space.
ReplyDeleteSource: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_Space_Treaty