War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Interview with Vladimir Petrovsky, 1987
Description:
Vladimir Petrovsky (Petrovskii) is a Soviet diplomat who rose to the post of First Deputy Foreign Minister from 1986-1991. Earlier in his career, he served for a number of years in the U.N. Secretariat, later (1992) becoming Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs. In this interview, he disagrees with the notion that the superpowers are in fundamental conflict, commenting that although their interests may be different there is no conflict of interest as such. At the same time, he acknowledges that every area of U.S.-Soviet relations is in need of a new approach, although he is confident that opportunities exist to deal successfully with regional and other problems. Asked to offer some assurances to European governments of Soviet good intentions, he notes that a number of proposals are currently on the table - for reducing armaments and troop levels, for example. He believes the most important objective for the superpowers should be to build mutual confidence, to do away with images of the enemy, and above all to take practical steps to resolve conflicts at all levels.
