This is vital history, based on first-hand know-how, and thus not overtaken by current events. Students in the fields of history, political science, and military studies will gain by reading this prime. It gives a unique overview of the INF Treaty showing what happened and why in the 1980s in terms of arms control and offering some points about the future of arms control regimes at the turn of this century. George Rueckert delineates the origins of INF negotiations and how they proceeded in Geneva and Reykjavik. He analyzes the INF Treaty and gives a comprehensive overview of it and supplemental agreements and interpretations. He describes implementing organizations and structures, matters relating to on-site inspection and portal monitoring, and related measures. In the end he considers what may lie ahead of us in the 1990s in terms of arms control. Appendices list INF inspection sites in the United States and Russia, present documents describing appendices to the INF treaty. The selected bibliography is a good guide to further reading on the subject.

The on-site inspection (OSI) regimes concluded in the last decade to verify major arms control agreements have established unprecedented levels of military cooperation and openness, added military predictability and stability, and provided new verification tools to deal with the proliferation priorities at the century's turn.

This study is the first comprehensive effort to provide an overall understanding of how these regimes evolved, what they do, and how they contribute to national security goals. Rueckert concludes with a discussion of costs and benefits of the current approaches. A major professional tool for all those involved in arms control verification activities. Scholars and researchers in the fields of international relations and conflict resolution will find the work of interest as well.