ABSTRACT
We are now at the end of the list of speakers, and I should make some concluding remarks. It would be futile at this point to try to summarize the results of this conference. To do this properly would mean to return to the questions asked in my Introductory Remarks (page 17) and in my remarks at the beginning of the Panel Discussion (page 250). Do we now understand the arguments, the experiences, the tracks of history which have led to the perceptions of the essentialists, the mechanists, and the interactionists, using the classification scheme introduced to this conference by Dr. Garthoff? Did we find any clue for distinguishing, in the real world, strategic and normative perceptions and self-perceptions from genuine ones, using the terminology applied by Michael Richter? Did we see areas of consensus between self-perceptions and imagined self-perceptions of the two sides? To what extent is there consensus about perceptions and imagined perceptions by the other side? Did we succeed, in some places, to identify misperceptions? What do we expect from each other in the long run? Which changes are required in our goals, in our perceptions of the goals of the other side, or in both, if long-term constructive cooperation between East and West is to become possible? Which obstacles can be identified, and what are the options for overcoming them?
