Soviet Foreign Policy and Domestic Politics: A Case Study

In: Cooperation and conflict: journal of the Nordic International Studies Association, Band 12, Heft 3, S. 129-148

Abstract

Jönsson, C. Soviet Foreign Policy and Domestic Politics: A Case Study. Cooperation and Conflict, XII, 1977, 129-148. The article discusses the relationship between external and internal factors in shaping Soviet foreign policy on the basis of a case study of Soviet behavior in the nuclear test ban negotiations 1958-63. Observed changes in Soviet behavior in these negotiations are related to 'internal bargaining' on the test ban issue between pro-treaty and anti- treaty 'groupings' within the USSR. Changes in Soviet negotiating behavior at Geneva are found to be correlated with changes in the success and influence of the different groupings. This case study indicates that neither external nor domestic factors alone, but rather the complex interplay between the two, can account for Soviet foreign policy behavior. International and domestic events can both be regarded as necessary but not sufficient conditions in explaining Soviet behavior in the test ban negotiations.