Self-reinforcing agreements substitute for interpersonal trust.

Evidence

Brzezinski, Carter’s National Security Adviser, is reported to have given when he was asked before the start of the arms talks in Geneva at the end of 1985 whether one could trust the Russians: ‘The point’, he said, ‘is not to trust them; it’s to find an agreement that is self-reinforcing.’ — Diego Gambetta, Trust - Making and Breaking Cooperative…, 1538

Categorization

• XREF: Directly evidences the reader’s Hardin thesis that trust requires observable constraints — a self-reinforcing agreement is exactly a structurally enforced constraint that removes reliance on goodwill. — connects to: Repeat players resolve disputes outside courts to preserve ongoing relationships — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 1115
• QUESTION: Worth checking whether Brzezinski actually said this and in what exact context — could strengthen or complicate the anecdote.