Abstract

Ban Missile Flight Testing

In a recent public opinion poll Americans were asked whether doubling the nuclear arsenals of the superpowers would make the U.S. safer or less safe, or would make no difference. The overwhelming majority replied that it would make no difference. They were then asked whether cutting U.S. and Soviet arsenals in half would make the United States safer or less safe, or would make no difference. Again, most answered that it would make no difference. Those results reveal a surprising degree of public skepticism toward dovish and hawkish agendas alike, and they pose a significant challenge to the arms control community. For more than twenty years the idea of a comprehensive ban on nuclear testing by the superpowers as the best way to block the development of a new generation of nuclear weapons has enjoyed considerable support from specialists as well as the general public.