ABSTRACT
A generalization of the French conclusions would therefore not only prove disruptive to the texture and cohesion of inter-state relations, but impose enormous strains on the stability of the relationship between society and state in Western Europe. In the 1980s the problems of maintaining stability against preemptive pressures in a crisis are likely to increase on the level of the central balance due to the emerging imbalance between weapon accuracy and target coverage on the one hand and secure modes of deployment on the other. From the point of view of stability it was necessary to consider the posture and individual systems with respect to survivability, security, flexibility and responsiveness. From the Soviet perspective it may constitute an investment in options for an uncertain future both with respect to the social stability of Eastern Europe and the political configuration of Western Europe.
