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THERE IS a brooding presence in Deadly Gambits. In page after page, it makes its presence vaguely felt. Strobe Talbott offers the reader glimpses, tantalizing hints of an influence we sense must be crucial to his story. But through hundreds of pages of well-written, exhaustively-researched work. Talbott barely acknowledges the existence of this presence. It must be the Soviet Union (they are the other super-power, aren't they?), yet judging from the title, the introduction, and almost the entire work, it might as well be our imagination...
...reader cannot help but admire Talbott for his obvious concern about nuclear weapons, for his intelligence, for his grasp of the issues, and not least for his keen and conscientious attention to the importance of individuals in foreign policy negotiation. Deadly Gambits will clearly enter the history books on a par with such works as Robert I. Kennedy '40's account of the Cuban Missile Crisis and George F. Kennan's writings on containment. But this dual account of the Intermediate Nuclear Force (INF) talks and Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START) suffers critically from an almost exclusive focus...
...main title we read "The Reagan Administration and the stalemate of nuclear arms control." Are we negotiating with ourselves? And on the flyleaf we find no mention of the Soviet Union except in relation to the "dangerous stalemate" brought about by Administration "infighting" and "ideological conflict." If the reader thought he was going to read about superpower rivalry he is about to be disabused this is a book about the perfidy of the Reagan Administration, and precious little else...
...Reader Louis Mihalyi [LETTERS, Oct. 1] suggests that the Afghan freedom fighters should give in to the Soviets and live under their rule. Submitting to injustice and aggression in order to preserve life has been tried before and has resulted in death and misery for millions. The more people are willing to yield to injustice and aggression the more likely we are to have injustice and aggression...
Maloul writes well, even when he overwhelms one with his vivid word pictures. Fortunately Phil's down to-earth narration rescues the reader and allows for more relaxed and absorptive reading. Maloul's style parallels the theme of the book, for as the sensitive Frank is bombarded with countless images, so too is the reader, until relieved by Phil's narration...