Received wisdom is that the Cold War ended in the early 80s, when Ronald Reagan announced his Strategic Defensive Initiative (SDI, Star Wars Initiative). It was a quantum leap in nuclear defence and light years ahead of Soviet weapons technology.

The impact was such that it forced the Russians to reconsider their strategic defence; we all know what happened next and ultimately, they ‘threw in the (radioactive) towel’.

However, there is a problem. It is not quite the truth. Continue reading →