cover image The End of the Cold War?

The End of the Cold War?

Thomas W. Simons. St. Martin's Press, $16.95 (188pp) ISBN 978-0-312-04536-4

Former deputy secretary of state Simons was involved with U.S.-Soviet policy throughout the Reagan years. This brief, important overview, based on lectures delivered at Brown University, where he is diplomat-in-residence, provides a chronological account of the development of East-West relations to explain how the great thaw between Washington and Moscow came about. Simons describes ``the pursuit of discrete national interests as defined by each player at every step'' that brought significant progress in nuclear arms control, a more stable superpower relationship and a drastic reduction in tensions. The Cold War is not over yet, he cautions, but he believes that if the process of interaction and dialogue established in the 1980s continues, the end is in sight. (Aug.)