ABSTRACT
We should recognize at the outset that the superpowers have a variety of means at their disposal for avoiding diplomatic crises which, while not war-threatening, inflict serious damage on the overall U.S.-Soviet relationship. Thus, a superpower may employ deterrence strategy to dissuade the other superpower or its allies from encroaching on its interests. Similarly, each superpower may undertake policies aimed at increasing the internal stability and security posture of an ally or neutral state. The superpowers may also rely upon third parties to mediate regional conflicts that might otherwise lead to a superpower confrontation. In the interest of crisis avoidance they may also agree to create neutral or buffer states, or accord each other dominant or exclusive spheres of interest in certain areas. These traditional means of moderating superpower global rivalry are not considered in this article, which addresses, instead, the feasibility of superpower cooperation in developing norms of competition that might help to avoid diplomatic crises arising from their global competition for influence at each other's expense.
