Publisher's Synopsis
The character of the Soviet Union as a nuclear superpower is hotly debated in the United States. In this study six American governments' perceptions of the Soviet Union as a nuclear adversary are expounded and analyzed. American images of the Soviet Union have evidently been influenced by Soviet behaviour but it is also demonstrated that the perception, in different ways and with varying strength, is related to traditionally dominating American views of the United States' proper role in the world as well as to the domestic political process in the United States.;The analysis points to the extraordinary uncertainty connected with a so-called detached observer's attempt to reach definite conclusions. Still, various conclusions are tentatively drawn which further elucidate American nuclear policy and the interplay between the superpowers.
