On This Day: 35 years since US-USSR Reykjavik Summit for nuclear talks

• Published date: 11 October 2021
• Author: AARON REICH
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

The two met at the tail-end of the Cold War, and the meeting was part of a series of talks between the US and Soviet Union. Reagen had a number of important topics he had wanted to discuss in Iceland, such as the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the plight of Soviet Jews and dissidents. But ultimately, arms control was the main focus of the summit.

This may seem unsurprising considering the history of the Cold War. Since the United States and Soviet Union entered into a power struggle, the two global superpowers became engaged in an arms race, with both nations and their allies forging alliances and advancing their military arsenals. These included advances in ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons, and while both nations had considerable stockpiles of both at their disposal, neither side wanted to go to war.

The aversion both superpowers had to the nuclear conflict was evident throughout the Cold War, especially following the nearly disastrous Cuban Missile Crisis in 1963.

This was further recognized by Reagan and Gorbachev. Back in 1985, when the two held their first summit in Geneva, both leaders recognized the dangers of a nuclear conflict, as it would only result in mutually assured destruction. "A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought," a joint US-Soviet statement following the Geneva Summit stated.

This is something that both leaders continued to express in 1986. Both had wanted to reduce nuclear weapons, and both also discussed overall cutting ack their ballistic missile capabilities.

Further, despite the Cold War having lasted nearly four decades at this point, Gorbachev was eager to negotiate. The Soviet Union's economy was continuing to decline, and Gorbachev needed to save it through significant restructuring. But to do that, he needed to make sure Soviet security was guaranteed. And to do that, he needed to cool down the tensions with the West as much as possible. An arms control agreement for both sides was the best way to do that.

The summit lasted into the next day, but despite both sides seeming willing to negotiate and recognizing the need for a cutback on nuclear capabilities, the talks completely fell through.

Why is that?

Ultimately, the reason was that there was one issue Reagen and Gorbachev would not budge on: The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI).

Also known as the Star Wars program, the initiative was a project formed under the Reagen administration to defend the US from nuclear attacks through the use of...