ABSTRACT
An analysis of the nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union must be capable of bridging the gap in outlook between antinuclear activists and those who are charged legally and morally with the defense of their country. The United States and the Soviet Union approach international politics in a similar fashion. Both nations have set their nuclear strategies in accordance with what might be called the "strategic outlook." The instruments of foreign policy are two: persuasion and coercion—or, diplomacy and strategy. A curious asymmetry developed between Soviet and US military forces at the end of World War II. Until 1949 the United States alone possessed nuclear weapons. The Soviet Union lagged nearly five years behind the United States in acquiring nuclear weapons and nearly fifteen years behind in acquiring the ability to deliver those weapons against the United States.
