ABSTRACT
This chapter demonstrates that, as a result of the combination of a political need for an arms control process and a confusion over goals, the goals have come to be shaped by the process itself. The straightforward notion of parity, which has a resonance in Western culture that gives it immediate appeal, deals with military power at a point at which it can be counted, and can accordingly be justified as a means of achieving arms race stability. Since negotiations usually proceed on the basis of a quid pro quo, which makes unequal concessions unacceptable, it seemed that parity had to exist already before it could be created. Unfortunately, many of the familiar problems with parity recur with sufficiency. Nevertheless, it is at least more useful to start with the question of sufficiency.
