The Quest for Arms Control at Geneva An Historical Perspective and Prospectus for the Future

The question of arms control in the 1980's is one that concerns the leaders and peoples of virtually the entire world. It is ironic then, in view of this fact, that the answer to this question is not one that can be negotiated multilaterally. Although the issues of arms race vs. arms control have a serious impact upon each nation on the globe, they can only be effectively resolved by two of the world's actors: the Soviet Union and the United States. Since the end of WWII, and more prominently since the ascension of the Reagan Administration to the White House, Soviet/American relations have focused on the issue of nuclear weapons. From 1945 to 1949, the nuclear question was one of "the haves and the have nots," with the U.S., of course, comprising the former and the Soviets making up the latter. During the 1950’s and 1960’s, the nuclear question became one of "Who had more?" and by the early 1970"s, during the period of "detente," it had changed once again. With both sides recognizing that a parity of sorts had been achieved, the question was now, "Where do we go from here? " The answer, it appeared was SALT I and SALT II