ABSTRACT
The strategic nuclear 'amis race' was arguably the most dramatic feature of the Cold War. One of the peculiar paradoxes of the political processes whereby the Cold War ended is that while the military confrontation in Europe was effectively ended by the Soviet withdrawal from Eastern Europe and the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty regime, the strategic nuclear force postures remained virtually intact. The end of the Cold War has raised very fundamental questions for the security and defence establishments, particularly in Europe and North America. The chapter describes the role of strategic nuclear arms control in US-Russian relations. It discusses the principal features of the environment and explains the fundamental directions of nuclear weapons policy that suggest themselves with a high degree of urgency. Although fundamentally co-operation with the West and integration into the international remains fundamental to Russia's foreign and security policy, basic disagreements about the future of European security continue to affect relations with the West.
