ABSTRACT
Americans' aversion to accepting the notion of a strategic transition flows from an unwillingness to recognize that strategic change has already begun. The same attitude holds true for the development of ground-based ballistic missile defenses, but space remains the arena of fascination and fear for Americans in contemplating a strategic transition. The public centerpiece of a strategic transition would hinge on the deployment of defensive weapons in space. The Soviets' notion of strategic change flows from their historical-religious worldview, which is built on a doctrine of determinism: There are inevitable stages to human development introduced by "revolutions". The Soviet Union has weathered several strategic challenges in the past by keeping pace with the iron laws of dialectic negation. Soviet propaganda slated for public consumption in the West is both strident and plaintive, in order to influence targeted political groups better.
