What was once said of Wagner's music also applies to the logic of the agreement between the U.S. and the Soviet Union to stand naked before each other's nuclear missiles: it's better than it sounds. To feel safe, both superpowers must be confident they can retaliate against an attack. The more defense one side has, the more offense the other will think it needs and the greater the danger that competition will spin out of control. Conversely, only when defenses are constrained can offenses be reduced. That's the connection -- the "linkage," as the diplomats and strategists call it -- between...
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