Beyond Nuclear International Weekly Digest, MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2026

Posted: 20th October 2026

A fateful meeting between the leaders of the US and the Soviet Union 40 years ago could have led to global nuclear disarmament. But Ronald Reagan’s stubborn insistence on missile defense derailed it, recalls Robert Dodge.

“Star Wars” derails peace

At a meeting in Reykjavík, Iceland, in October 1986, Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev argued for a 50% reduction in strategic nuclear weapons and total elimination of all intermediate range missiles deployed in Europe. After much discussion, US President Ronald Reagan astonishingly proposed the complete elimination of ALL nuclear arms. But he had one caveat—retaining a missile defense system. That led to the agreement falling apart. Nuclear arms were reduced but never eliminated and today the US president wants his “Golden Dome” and yet more nuclear weapons. READ MORE

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