It would be quite grotesque to argue that in the past, we were involved in the arms race because we had to keep pace with an opponent, and now we have to compete in the arms race because we have to keep pace with a partner, namely the United States of America.
Il serait grotesque de dire qu'avant, la course aux armements était nécessaire car nous devions pouvoir égaler notre adversaire et que maintenant, elle l'est, car nous devons égaler notre partenaire, les États-Unis d'Amérique.