ABSTRACT
The concept of a class-based struggle between communism and capitalism is an anachronism. Denied Western cooperation, and with the additional defense burden, the already substantial strains of reform could prove too much for Soviet elites to bear. The West has two main levers by which it can potentially exert a limited degree of influence over the course of development of the Soviet and East European societies: economic policy and arms control policy. On the positive side, arms control agreements with the Soviets coupled with East-West economic cooperation could accelerate progress toward a more liberal Soviet domestic policy and more constructive foreign policy. An overarching reality is that progress in arms control is necessary in order to reduce avoidable military burdens, provide tangible reassurance of Soviet good will to skeptical Westerners, and bolster the authority of the Soviet leadership. Perhaps Soviet rhetoric has outpaced reality, and these steps cannot be taken without jeopardizing Western interests.
