Basic HTML Version
stances will use nuclear weapons
agai nst states that renounce the
production and acquisition of such
weapons and have not stationed
them on thei r territory."
Shortly after President Brezh–
nev's solemn pledge, a prying
Soviet submari ne equipped with
nuclear-tipped torpedo s ran
aground inside the territorial
waters of neutral, nonnuclear
Sweden, making a mockery of the
Kremlin's call for a nuclear-free
zone in Scandinavia. Most neutral–
ists however, refused to see the
incident as a test of Soviet good
will.
force was originally the tripwire to
assure automat ic American partici–
pation in the defense of Europe–
but if Europeans want no serious
local defense, why do we need the
tripwire?"
Western Europe wi ll continue to
drift deeper into the murky abyss
of neutralism until- confronted
with its very survival, and with
America gone- it will be forced to
take sudden measures to defend
itself.
Mlddle East: Dange rous Stal emate
The sale of Airborne Warning and
Control System (AWACS) radar
planes and other ae ronautical
equipment to Saudi Arabia- con–
sidered a diplomatic triumph by
President Reagan-ensu res no re–
lief from lranians in the Middle
East.
Hopes that Saudi Arabia out of
gratitude will join the Camp David
"peace process" are slim to none.
_.11M11,,,.
The same for Jordan.
Undeterred by the embarrassing
situation, Mr. Brezhnev visited
Bonn , West Germany in late
November, Oying in, noted one
observer "on the wings of a
dove."
Mr. Brezhnev, presented Soviet
foreign and military policy, re–
ported the
Neue Ruhr Zeitung,
" in
the way it is supposed to be seen in
the West: P eaceful , defensive,
always ready for discussion, never
aggressive, unthreatening, never
intimidating."
During this new year, watch for
the Soviet "peace offensive"
lO
pick
up steam.
Sooner or later, European neu–
tralism will lead to calls in the
United S tates to pull American
t roops out of Europe.
If
these
troops cannot be backed up with
the weapons necessary to offset the
overw h elming W arsaw P act
st rength, they, of course, lose their
deterrent value and become little
more than hostages.
"We can expect the beginnings
of American agitation to ... bring
them [the troops) borne," writes
col umn ist William Safi re. "The
4
In fact , with advanced weapons
technology on order for another
Arab state, lsrael can be expected
to dig in its heels even more on the
issue of returning ter ritory cap–
tured during the 1967 war. Saudi
Arabia's so-called eight-point peace
plan, calling for a return of
al!
the
pre-1967 lands (including East
J erusalem) in return for hazily
defined recognition of the state of
Israel, holds no promise whatso–
ever.
At the same time, the United
States will continue to strengthen
ties with Egypt in the precarious
post-Sadat period.
Jt
is obvious that
Washington is placing g reat em–
phasis on its relations hip with
Egypt. But will Egypt prove to be
politically stable in the long run?
Or will it prove to be a weak reed to
lean on?
Central America: Bad to Worse
In the Western Hemisphere, Cuba
and the Soviet Union show no signs
of lessening their drive to topple
one country after another in Cen–
tral America.
Despite official denials in Wash–
ington, El Salvador's si tuation is
serious, bordering on grave, with
guerrillas attempting to consolidate
their hold on the entire eastern half '
of the tiny but populous count ry.
Guerrilla activity is s teadily
increasing in Guatemala, an unset–
tling s ituation for neighboring
Mexico, despite that nation's pro–
fessed public support of leftist lib–
eration organizations.
Moscow and H avana know that
Washington 's hands are tied with
regard to the amount and type of
aid that the U.S. government can
give to the beleaguered Central
American governments.
Direct military intervention is
out in El Salvador unless Mr.
Reagan is willing to risk wrath on
the campuses of American univer–
sities. Aid to Guatemala is com–
plicated by that country's claim to
the entirety of newly independent
Belize, formerly British Hondu–
ras.
Further south, a giant ques tion
mark hangs over the future of
Panama, with the sudden death of
General Ornar Torrijos last July.
General Torrijos, the commander
of Panama's National Guard, was
the g lue that held Panama's fac–
tious political climate together .
Without him, said one expert on
Panamanian politics, "The only
certainties for Panama's future are
t u rmoil and unease."
Look for the Communists- who
were held in check by nationalist
Torrijos- to eventually make their
move. With the Panama Canal now
in Panama's hands, the future of
this vital world waterway is more
uncertain than ever.
The
PLAIN TRUTH