ABM Treaty

The Failure of Deterrence With the signing of the Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty in 1972, the United States hoped to reduce the threat of nuclear war between itself and the Soviet Union. This treaty was designed to prevent anti-ballistic missile systems from being developed with the hope of keeping the principle of deterrence intact. The theory was that if these systems were not developed the Soviet Union and the United States would be wary of launching a …

…not those of competing nations. In an international system that is inherently turbulent and competitive, America must retain the freedom of action to protect American interests and uphold our security concerns effectively. In the words of Senator Jesse Helms, it is “time for the defenders of the ABM treaty to give up their pious devotion to an antiquated arms control theology and come to grips with the realities of the post Cold World War world.”