Reflecting on the 40th anniversary of the Reykjavik summit, Peter Hitchens examines the era of Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev. He argues that the stability of the Cold War has been replaced by a dangerous, unaffordable uncertainty.
The 1986 Reykjavik summit and the fear of disarmament
The meeting between US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in Iceland remains a pivotal moment in nuclear history. As Hitchens reports,the summit was marked by intense winds and a sense of high-stakes diplomacy that felt both chaotic and strangely stabilizing. While many viewed the potential for nuclear disarmament as a triumph,Hitchens recalls a "twinge of panic" regarding the possibility that a sudden end to the nuclear standoff might actually destabilize the global order.
The era of Mutually Assured Destruction provided a predictable, if terrifying,framework for international relations. Hitchens notes that during his time as a defense and diplomatic correspondent, the world felt well-guarded by competent forces, even as the threat of total incineration loomed. This stability, he suggests , was a byproduct of a bipolar world that no longer exists .
From Polaris submarines to a "minor, poor" power
Britain's military and economic standing has shifted dramatically since the height of the Cold War. During the 1980s, the nation maintained a robust presence, characterized by the deployment of Polaris nuclear missile submarines and the operation of Harrier jump-jets. According to the piece, the 1987 treaty signed in Washington DC, which effectively concluded the Cold War,served as a catalyst for an accelerating decline in British global influence.
Hitchens contends that while the UK was once a "rich, significant power," it has since transitioned into a "minor, poor" one. This economic contraction limits the nation's ability to project power or maintain the level of defense required to face modern adversaries. The prosperity that once underpinned British security appears to have evaporated in the decades following the fall of the Soviet Union.
The friction between Russian airspace incursions and shrinking budgets
Modern geopolitical tensions are exacerbated by a disconnect between perceived threats and available resources. Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton has noted that Russian aircraft frequently enter British airspace, signaling a persistent security challenge. However, Hitchens points out a recurring contradiction: while the public is repeatedly warned of "Russian peril," the government simultaneously claims there is no money available for enhanced national defenses.
This financial constraint creates a strategic vacuum. While some individuals, such as colleague Clare Foges, have turned to building survival bunkers stocked with canned goods, the state lacks the capital to provide the large-scale deterrence that once defined the era of Reagan and Gorbachev. The result is a nation that is aware of its vulnerabilities but lacks the means to mitigate them.
The unanswered question of how a diminished Britain survives multipolar nuclear threats
The current global landscape is significantly more complex than the bipolar standoff of the 1980s. The proliferation of nuclear capabilities to nations such as North Korea, Pakistan, and potentially Saudi Arabia means that the old logic of Mutually Assured Destruction no longer applies. This multipolar reality presents a set of challenges that the old Cold War structures were not designed to handle.
Hitchens leaves a critical gap in the analysis regarding how a middle power like Britain can navigate this new era.. Specifically, it remains unaddressed how the UK can maintain security or influence when it can no longer afford to act as a superpower or engage in a direct confrontation with Moscow. The source reports on the decline but offers no roadmap for how a cash-strapped Britain can survive a world where nuclear stability is no longer assured.
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