ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the growing threat to Western Europe which is posed by the continuing deployment of certain Soviet intermediate-range nuclear missiles. Most of the headlines about US and Soviet nuclear weapons in Europe have addressed the controversy as an element in the larger picture of Soviet-American relations. The Soviet Union has several different missile systems all with a range capable of reaching virtually all of Western Europe. Following the reelection of President Reagan in 1984 and the easing of the Soviet succession problems with Mikhail Gorbachev's emergence as party chairman, the Soviets moved quickly to reopen arms control discussions with the United States. The Soviets steadily increased the number of men under arms. The Soviet Union has been giving one of the highest priority to military buildup based on the belief that the risk of war is unavoidable as long as imperialism exists.
