Toward a Sane Defense Policy

It is essential for people of the democratic left to begin a fundamental examination of the assumptions behind U.S. defense policy—because Reagan continues to follow, in magnified form, a trend that began under the Carter administration. There has been broad bipartisan agreement that a major increase in military spending is necessary for the U.S. and its allies. And only very recently has the debate on this matter broadened to include questions traditionally left to the Pentagon and military experts: what kind of defense establishment is appropriate for a democracy? and what sort of technology and weapons systems do we need? But the fundamental questions of defense policy are rarely if ever discussed.

There is even less d...