Moskau in der Ära Kissinger - und wir. Bericht über die erweiterte Redaktionskonferenz
Moscow in the Kissinger era - and we. Report on an Editorial Conference.

Summary/Abstract: "Moscow in the Kissinger era - and we" - this was the general topic of discussion at Bad Honnef, Febr. 18/19th with 35-40 participants. The US-China detente, the rapidly increasing burden of armament, the growing Soviet awareness of the technological gap between East and West and the resulting need for economical, scientific and technological cooperation with highly industrialized Western countries - these are the main reasons for Moscow to seek a modus vivendi with the US. The retreat from Vietnam enhanced the manoeuvrability of American foreign policy. The new look in American-Soviet relationship can be described as a competitive partnership : Both nuclear powers are interested in maintaining bipolarity; local wars between minor countries are allowed; ideological confrontation continues, but shall not escalate to military conflagration of the two nuclear giants. If ever Kissinger intended to dissolve the fearful bipolarity into a balanced global multipolarity, this conception suffered a setback : last autumn's oil crisis revealed the weakness of Western Europe and Japan and their dependence on overseas supplies. Only the combination of military and economical strength secures great power status. In Europe, initially, the American-Soviet detente was welcomed with relief and raised great expectations as to an end of the Cold War. But a certain disillusion followed, caused by spreading doubts of the reliability of the big transatlantic ally. Americans, too, feel disappointed by the lack of solidarity of their European allies in the Near Eastern crisis of 1973. In the foreseeable future, China's atomic potential will not exceed minimum deterrence, her second-strike-capability being still far off. Nevertheless, the ever possible US flirt with China is viewed with apprehension by Moscow. The rapprochement of the two big nuclear powers compelled their respective allies in Western and Eastern Europe to develop a parallel strategy of diplomatic detente. Here are the roots of Chancellor Brandt's Ostpolitik. No one of Germany's neighbours and allies is interested in her reunification. This should not prevent us from maintaining juridically the "German option". For the time being there is hardly any alternative for German foreign policy. The Bad Honnef discussion meeting closed with a dinner in Bonn's Parliamentary Society House in presence of Mrs. Annemarie Renger, President of the Bundestag, and deputies of the political parties represented in the Federal Parliament. During the dinner, ten participants of the meeting gave short oral summaries of selected matters previously discussed.

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