Preparing for War Or Peace? the Progression of the Arms Race in Central Europe from 1945-1995 Within a Quantitative and Qualitative Framework
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Preparing for War or Peace? The Progression of the Arms Race in Central Europe from 1945-1995 within a Quantitative and Qualitative Framework by Iacopo T. Lash Mentor and Faculty Advisor: Dr. Phillip A. Karber A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of Honors in International Politics, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, Spring 2012 Acknowledgements I would like to thank Dr. Phillip Karber for his mentorship, as well as for providing many useful sources and insights for this project. I would not have been able to complete my senior thesis without his help. Many thanks to Dr. Robert Lieber for reviewing and commenting on one of the final versions of this paper. Furthermore, the Honors IPOL Thesis seminar in Fall 2011, led by Dr. Lieber, was essential for creating a coherent thesis. Past courses I’ve taken during my time at Georgetown University, such as Dr. Smyser’s Political Economy of Europe; Military Strategy and US Foreign Policy taught by Drs. Karber and Hendrix; and The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict since 9/11 taught by Mr. Abrams have given me a sound basis in research and writing skills without which I would have likely found this project overwhelming. I am grateful to the Georgetown University Sailing Coach, Michael Callahan, for his understanding and patience as this project progressed—he has always been extremely supportive of the teams’ academic pursuits. Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank my parents for giving me invaluable encouragement and advice all along the way. Lash | ii Table of Contents Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... ii Introduction....................................................................................................................... 1 Research Puzzle ...........................................................................................................................1 What is an arms race? ..................................................................................................................2 Huntington’s Hypothesis..............................................................................................................4 Hypothesis....................................................................................................................................7 Alternative Hypotheses on Arms Races.......................................................................................8 Operational Plan.........................................................................................................................12 Constraints .................................................................................................................................16 Organization...............................................................................................................................17 Chapter I: 1945-55.......................................................................................................... 18 Unchallenged US Technological Superiority and the Formation of NATO..............................18 The Soviet Union and the Red Army.........................................................................................21 The Burgeoning Arms Race: A Quantitative Focus ..................................................................22 Chapter II: 1955-65 ........................................................................................................ 25 A Qualitative Arms Race: the Introduction of Tactical Nuclear Weapons................................25 The United States and NATO ....................................................................................................25 The Soviet Union and the Creation of the Warsaw Pact............................................................29 A Shift to from a Quantitative to a Qualitative Arms Race: Huntington Confirmed ................36 Chapter III: 1965-75....................................................................................................... 38 US and NATO forces: An Initial Slowdown .............................................................................38 Soviet Theater Forces in Europe and the Warsaw Pact .............................................................39 SALT, Détente, and the Strategic Balance ................................................................................43 A Changing Balance and the US Response ...............................................................................45 From Détente to Breakout: Huntington Challenged ..................................................................47 Chapter IV: 1975-85 ....................................................................................................... 50 The United States and NATO: Answering the Soviet Breakout................................................50 The Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact: A Continuing Arms Buildup.....................................54 The Strategic Balance and Attempts at Arms Control...............................................................60 Quantitative and Qualitative Build-up: Huntington Modified...................................................61 Chapter V: 1985-95......................................................................................................... 63 The United States and NATO ....................................................................................................63 A Continued Arms Build-up: the Beginning of the End............................................................64 The INF Treaty and Conventional Force Reductions: The End of the Arms Race ...................65 The Collapse of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact ...........................................................67 Huntington’s Endgame ..............................................................................................................68 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 71 Huntington: A Final Appraisal...................................................................................................71 Implications for Future Arms Races: The United States and China..........................................79 Appendix I ....................................................................................................................... 94 Lash | iii Introduction The arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union defined international politics in the latter half of the 20th century. And, although the Cold War has long since subsided, regional arms races between nations have continued with noticeable intensity—the India-Pakistan arms race is a clear example. There is arguably a burgeoning arms race between the United States and China in the western Pacific. An interesting question emerges: why do some arms races lead to instability and then war, when others do not? Political scientists, like Samuel P. Huntington, have attempted to answer this question at the theoretical level. This study of the arms race in Central Europe during the Cold War—the greatest arms race in history—seeks to empirically verify Huntington’s theory on the progression of arms races. Research Puzzle The study of arms races is, generally speaking, bipolar in nature. There are a plethora of theoretical, deductive approaches to arms races. On the other end of the spectrum, there are also countless empirical studies of the development of weapons systems between one or more powers and the strategic implications of such systems. There are relatively few studies that combine both theoretical and empirical approaches. An empirical, bottom-up analysis of the progression in force size and structure of weapons systems during a particular arms race can lead to valuable insights into arms race theory. Therefore, the aim of this study is to empirically study the arms race in Central Europe from 1945-1995 within Samuel P. Huntington’s theoretical framework. In other words, this study seeks to determine whether an empirical analysis of Warsaw Pact and NATO forces in Central Europe can corroborate or modify Huntington’s Lash | 1 hypothesis on arms races. Since the Cold War was one of the largest, longest running, and most technologically advanced arms races in history, it can offer implications for current arms races, or ones that have yet to begin. The implications of the progression of a possible US-Chinese arms race have also been examined in the conclusion. In addition, this study sheds light on unintended consequences of arms control measures between competing powers. What is an arms race? Somewhat surprisingly, there are many different definitions as to what constitutes an arms race within the action-reaction model, which is the model that Huntington employed. Some, like Buzan and Hammond, have suggested that arms races are only the most extreme manifestation of an “arms dynamic” that is the normal interaction between the militaries of different states.1 The armament goals of a State can either be absolute or relative with respect to the forces of another power; however, arms races can only truly occur when two powers have relative armaments goals. In addition, the term “arms race” itself may be a bit misleading. An arms race is not necessarily a “race” in the simplest sense, since this implies “a grueling contest between two runners straining to do their utmost, which