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The Limits of Control: A History of the SALT Process, 1969-1983

Ambrose, Matthew John
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1417687511

Abstract Details

2014, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, History.
Historians have only begun to grapple with the implications of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, the longest-running arms control negotiation in modern history. This dissertation breaks with the existing literature by examining the process from beginning to end, and placing an in-depth examination of SALT at the center of the narrative. In effect, SALT’s structural constraints limited the progress that could actually be achieved in reducing arms. Rather than retreating from the process, the leaderships of both superpowers embraced it as a way to reassert their control over fractious domestic interests and restive polities, using foreign policy to effect a “domestic condominium” between them. Widespread discontent with the threat of nuclear annihilation prompted the superpowers to redirect SALT to enhance their control over their military and diplomatic apparatuses and insulate themselves from the political consequences of continued competition. Prolonged engagement with arms control issues introduced dynamic effects into nuclear policy in the United States and, to a lesser extent, the Soviet Union. Arms control considerations came to influence most areas of defense decision making, while the measure of stability SALT provided allowed the examination of new and potentially dangerous nuclear doctrines. Verification and compliance concerns by the United States prompted continuous reassessments of Soviet capabilities and intentions, while challenging their definitions of knowledge itself. This framework grew strained as the short and long-term interests of the superpowers began to diverge. The Reagan administration came to power promising to break this cycle, but could not find a way to operate constructively within the existing framework. The SALT process, broadly construed, reached its definitive end with the Soviet walkout from arms control talks in 1983.
Peter Hahn (Advisor)
Robert McMahon (Advisor)
Jennifer Siegel (Committee Member)
449 p.
American History; History; International Relations; Military History
Foreign Policy; National Security; Nuclear History; Arms Control; SALT I; SALT II; INF; Nuclear Strategy; Cold War; Strategic Arms Limitation Talks; Detente; Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces; Nuclear Weapons; International Relations; Diplomatic History

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Ambrose, M. J. (2014). The Limits of Control: A History of the SALT Process, 1969-1983 [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1417687511

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Ambrose, Matthew. The Limits of Control: A History of the SALT Process, 1969-1983. 2014. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1417687511.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Ambrose, Matthew. "The Limits of Control: A History of the SALT Process, 1969-1983." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1417687511

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1417687511
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.
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