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Epilogue

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 April 2021

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Summary

The epilogue provides an overview of the end of the Cold War. It discusses the Reagan–Gorbachev relationship, their efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons at a remarkable summit in Reykjavik (1986), and the INF Treaty of 1987. The chapter analyzes the reasons for the end of the Cold War and the change in Soviet policy. I argue that although SDI was an important part in Soviet thinking, the key changes effected from 1989 were primarily the result of factors originating in the USSR and elsewhere in Eastern Europe. These were factors largely (but not entirely) independent of the policies pursued by US administrations. They include Gorbachev’s own evolving predilections (reinforced by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster); Soviet high politics; long-term structural problems besetting the Soviet economy; the role of non-state actors; and the courageous efforts of citizens and peace groups across Eastern Europe. The epilogue concludes by highlighting the foreign policy turns of Carter and Reagan, and their significance for the Cold War. I argue that only by examining the full landscape – international and domestic – can we truly understand how US foreign policy is crafted.

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Chapter
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The Second Cold War
Carter, Reagan, and the Politics of Foreign Policy
, pp. 283 - 294
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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  • Epilogue
  • Aaron Donaghy
  • Book: The Second Cold War
  • Online publication: 22 April 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108937016.011
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  • Epilogue
  • Aaron Donaghy
  • Book: The Second Cold War
  • Online publication: 22 April 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108937016.011
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Epilogue
  • Aaron Donaghy
  • Book: The Second Cold War
  • Online publication: 22 April 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108937016.011
Available formats
×