Living Together

Arthur Macy Cox marshals the intellectual evidence for the upcoming debate about the future of American foreign policy in his book The Dynamics of Detente. President Carter is calling for a reassessment of U.S. defense strategies in his moves toward rapid conclusion of arms control agreements with the Soviets and his expressed hopes for disarmament. The Cox book sharply defines the two poles of armers and disarmers and skillfully presents the defense data necessary for public discussion of our foreign policy options.

Cox critiques the past practice of detente by noting that the search for concrete pay-offs from the policy has been misguided. The Nixon and Ford administrations continually sought improved human rights in the Soviet Union and tangible economic benefits for the U.S. through their practice of detente. According to Cox, the real benefit of the relaxation of superpower tensions lies instead in opportunities to end the arms race. Cox, a veteran of the State Department and the CIA, builds a persuasive argument that the United States should reach agreements with the Soviet Union not only to control the present weapons race but also to begin dismantling excessive nuclear capabilities.

The key to implementation of this new policy is an acceptance by the United States of essential equality with the Soviets in strategic weapons. In the past America has always maintained clear superiority. As long as we have superior weapons strength, the Soviets are constantly trying to catch up - an action which simply fuels the vicious cycle of the arms race and keeps both the U.S. and the Soviets spending for new weapons. The Cox position in the foreign policy debate is that the thaw in the Cold War and an American willingness to accept Soviet equality provides an opportunity to end this arms race.

Those opposing the Cox position, "America firsters" such as Senator Jackson and former Secretary of Defense Schlesinger, vividly describe the "Soviet threat" and constantly generate demand for ever-increasing arms expenditures. The case for American superiority is always emotionally appealing, which makes it easy to sell to the public and to the Congress. The Cox volume is a first step toward righting the imbalance caused by the natural propensity to accept the argument of the armers without fully analyzing the case for disarmament.

The Dynamics of Detente advances the case for nuclear equality and disarmament in pragmatic policy terms. The evolution of detente is examined, the defense posture and deterrence theory of the U.S. explained in understandable terms, Soviet intentions sensibly evaluated, and the infighting of Washington bureaucrats exposed to public scrutiny. The book is valuable source material for both government officials and concerned citizens in the foreign policy debate which is just beginning in earnest with the new President. If the Carter administration reaps the pay-offs of detente in the form of an end to the arms race, Cox projects that not only could U.S. security be enhanced through a stable nuclear equilibrium, but also an estimated $25 billion a year for the next decade could be saved in the U.S. defense budget. But the opportunity for securing the benefits of detente is fleeting. "If the debate is won by the hawks in either Washington or Moscow, detente will be dead and a great opportunity will have been lost."

THE DYNAMICS OF DETENTEBy Arthur Macy Cox '42Norton, 1976. 256 pp. $8.95

Mr. McNemar is associate professor of government at Dartmouth, specializing in internationallaw and organization.