Jumping The Gun

Though much of it is excellent, the article by T. A. Heppenheimer entitled “Build-down” (December) disturbs me. It goes along with the widely touted notion that “we will no longer arm ourselves against a Soviet enemy that now is no more” and that “the new challenges are regional.” Isn’t this naive when the Russians still have all those long-range missiles? And now Vladimir Zhirinovsky, whose party has emerged as the strongest anti-reform group in Russia’s new parliament, wants to become president, wants Alaska back, spews anti-Semitism, calls for absorbing Finland and the Baltics, threatens Germany (and Russia’s “enemiesÝ) with nuclear annihilation, and the like. This is not a time to “build down” unless we do it with the utmost care.