ABSTRACT
The US Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) is, of course, only one aspect of the ‘new Cold War’ between the superpowers, but both in the public arena and in US-Soviet relations it has acquired a very high profile. Although it would be misleading to claim that SDI is the cause of the current downturn in US-Soviet relations, it is evidently the focus of much disagreement between the superpowers as well as a cause of considerable tension within the NATO alliance. This chapter aims to look at the history of SDI and to reflect on its development during its first three years, but in order not so much to produce yet another review of the technical problems facing SDI as to provide the basis for an examination of its consequences for US-Soviet relations. In short, how much has SDI contributed to the current state of superpower relations, and what role will SDI play in their future development?
