The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 73, No. 35, Ed. 1, Tuesday, January 28, 1986 Page: 3 of 8
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tuesday jan. 28 1986
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Disarmament
ACU answers query 'How should U.S.
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2 Assistant Features Editor
Xast Wednesday Mikhail Gorbachev
T made a proposal to the international com
""munity that waj both surprising and
" "precedent-setting. He proposed that the
w"United States the Soviet Union and
" other nations possessing nuclear capabili-
ty agree to make the world completely
free of nuclear weapons by the year 2000.
On the ACU campus the proposal was
Wgreeted with responses ranging from sur-
prise to skepticism to guarded but
hopeful optimism.
The proposal was surprising probably
because it sounded so radically different
from the Soviets' perceived resistance to
arms reduction proposals in the past and
perhaps because it brought back up for
discussion a possibility that many people
had not even thought imaginable any
. more a world free from nuclear arms.
Gorbachev presented his proposal on a
three-stage timetable extending over the
finest 14 years. In the first stage the two
'iPiuperpowers would cut by 50 percent
their nuclear weapons capable of striking
the other's country including
intermediate-range missiles in Europe.
In 1990 .the second stage of the plan
would call for further reduction in the
missile3 a phased elimination of bat-
". tlefield nuclear weapons and a reduction
in the number of field troops. This stage
would afreet all nuclear powers including
M France Britain and. China
" Then in the third stage all nations
would eliminate all remaining nuclear
T-veapons.
9 The proposal has many more details
having to do with specific theaters of
operation and the number of missiles to
be dismantled and troops to be removed
and about what is probably the most
precedent-setting item of all: a Soviet ac-
ceptance of the idea of usinjj an interna-
CJ tional on-site verification tm to confirm
that the arms and troops are actually be-
ing reduced according to plan.
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An informal survey of people at ACU
revealed these responses to the Soviet
proposal:
Dr. David Dlllmsn associate pro;
fessor of government said "We ought to
take it seriously; it ought to be placed on
the table in Geneva and discussed."
But he said the proposal "does raise
some important questions." Do the
Soviets want the United States to "drop
all pursuit of the SDI?" he said referring
to the Strategic Defense Initiative com-
monly known as "Star Wars." The
significance of the proposal depends on
"the equity of what the Soviets are offer-
ing: such factors as the distances their
rockets can go the number of warheads
they have.
"No I don't think we should trust
them in the sense of blind trust. It's not
politically feasible. But that doesn't mean
we shouldn't take their proposal seriously
and see if we can't make some accomoda-
tions to bring peace closer" DUlman
said.As far as trusting DUlman said "I
don't know that Gorbachev has a lot of
grounds to trust us either; we've broken
testing agreements all the way back" to
the early days of the nuclear age after
Hiroshima.
Because of this he continued when
discussing the proposal with the Soviets
"we shouldn't make our demands so im-
possible that they are beyond accom-
modation. Sometimes in the past we've
made demands for concessions which
were not really realistic. We should treat
the proposal seriously and show that we
really do want reductions or we'll
demonstrate hut what Jody Powell press
secretary to former President Jimmy
Carter said: "Neither side is really
serious about weapons reduction.'
"And this proposal is new" DUlman
said "in that they're expressed a wiU-
ingness for on-tbe-gronnd verification in
a way they haven't before which seems
promising Certainly I would like to see a
nuclear-weapons-free world" he said.
But a sincere Soviet desire for disarma
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proposal
ment doesn't really settle the whole issue
DUlman said. With nuclear technology
becoming more avaUable worldwide
other countries "like Libya Israel and
Iran" either possess or soon wiU possess
nuclear capabilities making them a part
of "the nuclear family. What's to keep
one of them from setting things off?"
Gng Johncon sophomore public
relations major from Toronto Canada
said "J'm very skeptical about this pro-
posal. I feel the Soviets tend to break
every pact they make." Johnson said it
was easy for the Soviets to propose
dismantling weapons but he asked
"Who's really going to do that first?" He
indicated the situation is like two gunsl-
ingcrs endlessly facing each other both
with their pistols drawn and neither wan-
ting to risk lowering his weapon to talk
real reconciliation. "The Soviets may
pretend to but I can't really see them cut-
ting back and reducing their weaponry.
When they make peace proposals I've got
to question their sincerity if all the while
they're pouring their money into more
weapons."
As far as the possibUity of living in a
nuclear-weapon-free world Johnson said
"It doesn't seem very likely. I don't see
how the weapons could ever be forgotten
since they've been invented. I think the
Soviets' proposal is a lot of nice rhetoric
but I don't think they're ever really going
to do anything about it."
Does Johnson spend much time think-
ing about the threat of nuclear war? "No
it never really effects me. I feel like if it
happens it happens and you should just
live each of your days to the fullest. I
guess I'm used to the fact that it's a
nuclear age."
Mike Waters a sophomore finance
major from Arlington said "I'm skep-
tical. If it works out that'll be super but
it's a long way from happening. My true
feeling is that the Soviets may have pro-
posed it in order to weaken us to make us
lax in our defense while they remain the
same"
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Waters went on "This proposal
sounds great but we can't do it over-
night. It will have to be a slow long-term
process and I think we'll never totally get
rid of them. But also I don't think a full-
scale nuclear war will ever happen. That
would be so final that I can't see anybody
actually starting it."
But Waters took exception to that when
discussing the role of someone like Li-
byan President Muammar Kaddafi: "I
don't think he's a rational man. If a
nuclear holocaust happens it will be
started by the leader of some small
backward country like that."
Kevin Herrte a junior human com-
munication major from Smyrna Tenn.
said "It's a great proposal even if it's not
completely trustworthy" He suggested
that the Soviets won't really get rid of all
their nuclear weapons and neither will
the United Sutes that in fact "We'll
never be able to know about every one of
the nuclear weapons in the world. But at
least both sides reducing them will take
off some of the economic and emotional
burdens placed on our societies by
nuclear weapons' dangers and
expenditures.
"If we had that money frecd'up" Har-
ris said "it would help both our economy
and the Russian economy. We're never
going to know for sure if all of the
weapons are gone but that shouldn't
keep us constructing new ones. If we do
stop the buildup we can redirect the
money we save to meeting social needs
and dealing with social issues feeding
our poor feeding their poor.
"This proposal has several benefits
over tho current situation. Even if it
fails" to rid the world of aU nuclear
weapons "it still has more benefits" he
said.
"I'm for this proposal not because I'm
afraid of dying" Harris said. "My main
concern is that we tie up so much of our
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optimist A-3
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money and resources in these weapons in-
stead of helping people."
Talyna Nschflnger a junior com-
munication disorders major from
Osceola Ark. said the proposal "sounds
good" showing at least that since the
changing of the Soviet leadership they're
apparently "trying more to cooperate"
and not remain "so solitary. It could
work" .
As far as whether the U.S. government
should trust the Soviets Nachlinfecr said
"They're as honest as we are; we can
trust them as much as they can trust us.
We hide things from them too we send
our spies into their country. We're not
the perfect country I love America but
it's not perfect.
"To me this proposal is a show of
good faith a sign of cooperation" she
said. "We would be closer to peace by
working with them."
Carol Klrklin senior elementary
education major from Houston said "It
sounds like an excellent plan. Of course I
don't think violence is ever the answer I
mean if our security is truly in God why
would we feel the need for weapons? I
know it sounds idealistic but I think It's
what God calls us to.
"And I don't think we should approach
the issue from the perspective of 'We'U
get rid of our weapons only if they get rid
of theirs' " she said. "That's suih a con-
ditional kind of relationship and I've
recently been convicted about just how
conditional most of our relationships are.
Jesus caUed us to respond to people in
love no matter whether they love us or
not. I realize there might be a war but
would that really be the worst thing that
could happen?"
Klrklin indicated she thought a lot of
the negotiators' jockeying for bargaining
position was rooted In .fear and said "I
don't think a terrified kind of fear ever
comes from the Lord."
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The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 73, No. 35, Ed. 1, Tuesday, January 28, 1986, newspaper, January 28, 1986; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth92033/m1/3/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.