ABSTRACT
Arms control and disarmament are today among the most important issues facing the nations involved in the East-West conflict. The governments of the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic cannot discuss issues of arms control within a narrow national framework; their freedom to maneuver is limited. Although arms control and disarmament were considered to be important political aims, many assumed that the higher level of confidence in East-West relations generated by detente would automatically lead to progress in achieving these aims. The Federal Republic of Germany has a crucial interest in arms control and disarmament. However, it cannot go it alone in this field—all solutions must be devised in an international framework. The Western alliance should always be aware of and respect the peculiarity of the German situation because the alliance can only be as good as the sum total of the interests of all of its members.
