Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

CHOICE Review

A slim attempt to provide a layperson's guide to arms control-to an understanding of the dilemma imposed by superpowers more interested in superiority than in arms control, to an evaluation of the myths of arms control foes who argue for sustaining the arms race, and to proposals for breaking the arms control stalemate. Menos attempts to reach conclusions without providing readers with sufficient analytic background. For example, Menos compares Soviet and US nuclear forces without presenting any comparative charts. In addition, he makes blanket statements, such as, ``the arms race ... makes no rational sense'' or ``US nuclear strategies fuel the arms race,'' without explaining possible rationales for arms competition or whether one or another strategy might be more or less stabilizing. The complete absence of notes and bibliography is a disservice even for laypersons who want to know more about the arguments that led Menos to his conclusions about various deterrent strategies, arms control proposals, superpower perceptions of interests and fears, and obstacles to arms control. Adequate in a general and readable way, this book compares poorly with recent literature on arms control, strategy, and military competition. Community college students and general readers.-L.S. Hulett, Knox College