The Cold War arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union was centered on the abilty to launch missile-delivered nuclear weapons, and the ability to interdict incoming warheads with anti-ballistic missiles. Competition between the two rivals for global domination, with measure being met with counter-measure, was seen by many as a deadly game of brinksmanship that would untimately lead to a nuclear exchange. The 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty restricted the deployment of strategic anti-ballistic missiles. The United States withdrew from the treaty in 2002.