Reagan and Reykjavík: Arms Control, SDI, and the Argument from Human Rights
Following the October 1986 U.S.-Soviet summit in Reykjavík, Iceland, news media in the United States characterized the Reagan-Gorbachev meeting as a failure because President Ronald Reagan refused to compromise on his commitment to the development of a Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). This essay...
Published in: | Rhetoric & Public Affairs |
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Main Author: | |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Project MUSE
2008
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/rap.0.0045 |
Summary: | Following the October 1986 U.S.-Soviet summit in Reykjavík, Iceland, news media in the United States characterized the Reagan-Gorbachev meeting as a failure because President Ronald Reagan refused to compromise on his commitment to the development of a Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). This essay examines Reagan’s rhetoric of public diplomacy surrounding the Reykjavík Summit and suggests an alternative characterization. Reagan used SDI to prod Mikhail Gorbachev toward liberalization and democratization of the Soviet Union, particularly in the area of human rights. |
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