Colucci Addresses 30th Anniversary of Able Archer 83
Lamont Colucci, associate professor of politics at Ripon College, has an opinion piece on the website of U.S. News & World Report. “Failing to Plan for War Causes More War” addresses the 30th anniversary of the “Able Archer 83” exercise, a NATO exercise that determined NATO forces, even if they employed chemical weapons, would fail to blunt a conventional Soviet invasion.
This and subsequent war games revealed “a strategic failure by the United States and her European allies to fund, train and equip a large enough conventional force to stop Soviet aggression. … It was the unwillingness of the U.S. Congress and others to properly study the lessons of history and prepare for war.”
He adds, “We are currently making horrendous decisions concerning the funding, training and equipping of the American military. The foolishness of the automatic budget cuts known as the sequester will place an ever larger burden on those forces and place greater reliance on America’s WMD deterrence capability, a deterrence that only works if one is prepared to use it. …
“But Able Archer 83 reminds us that failure to plan for war causes war. Worse, it causes greater catastrophe in the lives of soldiers and civilians. This failure destabilizes international relations worldwide and makes a mockery of American foreign policy.”
Read the full article here.
Related Posts
“Never Givin’ Up” announced as finalist in ARSC Awards for Excellence, among other honors
“Never Givin’ Up: The Life and Music of Al Jarreau,” written by Kurt Dietrich, professor of music emeritus at Ripon College, has been recognized by […]
Lillian Brown to appear in play in Sturgeon Bay July 17 through Aug. 18
Assistant Professor of Theatre Lillian Brown will appear in the play “Jeeves Saves the Day,” by Margaret Raether, July 17 through Aug. 18 in Sturgeon […]
Article by Patrick Willoughby, student collaborators published in journal
Associate Professor of Chemistry Patrick H. Willoughby and three of his students contributed to an article published in Chemistry: A European Journal. Contributors to “Nitrene […]
Rafael Francisco Salas has work in regional exhibit opening May 18
Rafael Francisco Salas, professor of art and chair of the Department of Art and Art History, will have work included in “TMA Contemporary,” the annual […]