USA and USSR Summits Flashcards
What was Gorbachev’s attitude to arms race?
Understood that weapons did not guarantee security
- Felt security was through political and economic processes not military expansion
- An element of New Thinking was interdependence – states had common interests and therefore should work together.
When was the Geneva Summit?
November 1985
What was the agreed goal both were working towards at Geneva?
Cutting nuclear weapons by 50%
What was the provisional agreement and discussions at Geneva?
- Limiting and eliminating medium-range nuclear missiles
- End nuclear proliferation to other countries
- Ban on chemical weapons
What issue came up at Geneva?
Gorbachev was not on board with SDI and this was a constant source of tension in summits
What were the outcomes of Geneva?
No concrete outcomes
- Joint statement that ‘a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be thought’ showing the ideological split was removed
What was the future agreement at Geneva?
Agreed to meet at Washington and Moscow
- Due to potential conflict, planned for Iceland
When was Reykjavik Summit?
October 1986
What was the purpose of the Reykjavik summit?
Put US-Soviet relations back on track
- Reagan wanted to eliminate nuclear weapons but Gorbachev wouldn’t due to SDI
- Gorbachev wanted to end SDI
What were the agreements at Reykjavik?
Lack of any concrete agreements
- Gorbachev agreed to detatch disarmament from any demands on SDI in future summits
- Worked to draft agreements to be discussed in the next summit
- Human rights but no agreement
Was Reykjavik a success?
Both sides gained an insight on each other and opinions on arms reduction
- No clear result but did pave the way for future treaties
When was the Washington Summit?
December 1987
What significant agreement was signed at Washington?
INF Treaty
What did the INF treaty include?
Ended use of all intermediate range ballistic and cruise missiles
- 500-5500 km would be destroyed by June 1991
By June 1991, how many missiles had each side destroyed due to INF treaty?
USA had destroyed 846 weapons and the USSR had 1846
What was the significance of the INF treaty?
- First time USA and USSR agreed to remove whole class of weapons
- USA withdraw from SDI
- USSR accepted that UK and French missiles would not be part of the deal
What was the outcome of Washington regarding Afghanistan?
Gorbachev’s decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, announced February 1988
- Removed by May 1989
When was Moscow Summit?
May-June 1988
What was the goal of Moscow?
Agree on START treaty which was initially proposed at Geneva to limit weapons to 5000
What was the actual focus on Moscow summit?
Cultural exchange and human rights
What were the agreements at Moscow regarding cultural issues?
Seven agreements that included fishing rights and student exchange programmes
Was START finalised at Moscow?
No headway made
