[extropy-chat] an(other) Aussie visits Texas

[Thomas]

J. Andrew Rogers wrote:

>On Jan 29, 2007, at 6:57 AM, Ben Goertzel wrote:
>  
>
>>Please note that Star Wars was also, in the 1980's, the popular name
>>for a proposed US missile defense system proposed by President
>>Reagan, Edward Teller, and others.
>>[...]
>>
>
>It was a lot more than lasers, [...]
>
>Cheers,
>
>J. Andrew Rogers
>  
>

Yes!  The Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars) disrupted the 
Mutuallly Assured Destruction doctrine that created that standing wave 
we called the Cold War.  As a shield, not a threat, it gave the U.S. the 
moral high ground.  Reagan even offered the "technology" to Gorbachev! 
 The "Evil empire" characterization capped the demoralization of the 
Soviets.

SDI seemed more a geo-political game in which our leader maintained the 
initiative with powerful words and principled strategy -- and ultimately 
won -- perhaps prolonging the existence of the human race.   Was there 
more to this game than just the opposition principle?  Why did it seem 
so much more effective and expansive in scope than our present foreign 
relations game?  -- Thomas


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