ABSTRACT
According to conventional US notions of arms control, widely accepted in the West, it is imperative to safeguard the security of East and West alike. A military balance seems a suitable basis that leaves neither side the option of going to war with the promise of its own survival and a military victory. In 1965, the US government first suggested to Moscow a treaty on mutual renunciation of anti-missile systems. In the Western view, the threat emanating from Soviet military might is increased to no small degree by Soviet planning foreseeing a rapid offensive advance by the Warsaw Pact against Western Europe. Soviet leadership starts out with the premise that East-West relations are antagonistic in nature. While in certain cases both sides may cooperate pragmatically, they are condemned to insurmountable rivalry due to the prevailing systemic antagonism.
