Bark argues there is a mixture of fantasy and fact when viewing the Bonn-Moscow treaty of 1970 and the changing relations between West Germany and the USSR. He asks if problems have been solved, and, if so, who has benefited? He argues the Soviet Union is looking to expand its influence, saying one needs to analyze more than just the text of the treaty. Bark believes Soviet goals have not changed and the Soviet-West German relationship is one-sided, though called bilateral, in the tradition of the Soviet relations with Poland and Czechoslovakia.

Starting in 1970, Bark was a research fellow, senior fellow, and deputy director, Hoover Institution.