That Shield, Not a Sword

How goes Ronald Reagan’s goal of anti-ballistic-missile defenses?

THE uproar over the expected North Korean missile test brings the question of missile defense, once again, to the fore. Before Ronald Reagan gave his 1983 “Star Wars” speech, both Democrats and Republicans believed that the only way to counter the USSR’s nuclear threat was to deter aggression with an arsenal of our own while negotiating (dubious) arms-control agreements. Since then, the GOP has been the pro-missile-defense party, and the Democrats have remained mostly opposed.

TD

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Taylor Dinerman

Taylor Dinerman is the author of Subway Lists and Other Writings from the iPhone Era.

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How goes Ronald Reagan’s goal of anti-ballistic-missile defenses?

THE uproar over the expected North Korean missile test brings the question of missile defense, once again, to the fore. Before Ronald Reagan gave his 1983 “Star Wars” speech, both Democrats and Republicans believed that the only way to counter the USSR’s nuclear threat was to deter aggression with an arsenal of our own while negotiating (dubious) arms-control agreements. Since then, the GOP has been the pro-missile-defense party, and the Democrats have remained mostly opposed.