U.S.-Soviet Cooperation: The Role of Third States

U.S.-Soviet cooperation in the developing world must be pursued within a multilateral setting since neither, alone or together, is capable of defining regional security systems. In eliciting the cooperation of regional states in defining peaceful security regimes around the globe, the United States and the Soviet Union should base their cooperation on the following assumptions or principles. First, current understandings should be codified to establish a solid foundation for future cooperation. Second, impediments to further cooperation should be clearly delineated to limit misunderstandings. Third, both should be sensitive to the limits of their power as a function of the demands of other states to have a say in regional security. Fourth, these limits should not hinder cautious but optimistic expectations of advancing cooperation because both Washington and Moscow, whether under centralized or federated authority, have powerful incentives to continue to expand the scope and depth of their cooperation at the regional level.