Soviet Strategy Toward Western Europe (review)

Abstract

BOOK REVIEWS 261 the need for future research on the topic of how American defense policy influences both Soviet military doctrine and the Soviet view of the American willingness to accept risk. The relationship between doctrines and beliefs, which hovers over many of the central arguments in nuclear deterrence, must be explored further if the concept of competition in risk-taking is to be refined. The Committed Observer. By Raymond Aron. Chicago: Regnery Gateway, Inc., 1983. pp. 292. Reviewed by William Green, M.A. candidate, SAIS. A series of interviews accorded by Raymond Aron in 1980 to French television appear in this readable and captivating volume. Aron offers an analysis of the political and economic crises sweeping France during the past fifty years as well as a defense of the positions he took on specific issues. His discussions of the diplomatic failures to bridle Hitler's Germany, the economic weaknesses of the Popular Front's program, the Algerian conflict, and Prague Spring are particularly interesting. Following the war, Aron embarked on a double career as an editorialist and professor of sociology. Journalism permitted him to participate in the nation's political reconstruction and thus interpret history in the making, while academics provided the environment for the intellectual development of his political philosophy. An analyst and interpreter of events, Aron frequently found himself in disagreement with the French intelligentsia of the 1950s and 1960s. Considered an intellectual of the right while espousing a liberal conception of society, Aron cannot be readily categorized. His political attitudes emerged from a relativist approach to history, empirical analysis, and a liberal philosophy favoring pluralism. He appreciated the distinctions between general idealism and political realism. This volume serves as a useful introduction to the study of the political philosophy of one of France's great intellectuals. Soviet Strategy Toward Western Europe. Edwina Moretón and Gerald Segal, eds. London, Boston, and Sydney: George Allen and Unwin, 1983. pp. 296. Reviewed by William Green, M.A. candidate, SAIS. This timely volume provides students of international relations with a welcome European analysis of Soviet military, economic, and arms control policies. Arguing that many West European-Soviet disputes have little to do with the East-West struggle, the contributors urge the resurrection of a West EuropeanSoviet dialogue. Dawisha and Adomeit contend that pragmatism as well as strategic state interests rather than ideology determine Soviet strategy toward 262 SAIS REVIEW Western Europe. Freedman and Moretón suggest that certain policy decisions create seldomly considered dilemmas for Soviet power. Specifically, a U.S. military presence on the continent legitimizes the deployment of Soviet troops in Eastern Europe, serves as a safeguard against potential West German expansionist tendencies to the East. In the economic and political spheres, Stent and Morse believe Soviet attempts to augment their influence in West European capitals are largely unsuccessful. Nevertheless, indirect gains occur whenever allied disagreements over trading behavior with the Eastern bloc arise. Sharp suggests that in areas of common interests, agreements are attainable. The authors seem to agree that the resolution of certain issues can only be achieved if a regional rather than global framework is established. For the Europeans, a détente based on competitive coexistence with the Soviets is the only realistic policy available. Poland's Self-Limiting Revolution. By Jadwiga Staniszkis. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1984. Reviewed by Bruce Lowry, M.A. candidate, SAIS. Solidarity, Poland's "self-limiting revolution," is viewed from the inside by Jadwiga Staniszkis, a sociologist who was among the intellectuals involved in the factory negotiations in Gdansk in August 1980. Staniszkis describes the mechanics of Solidarity's birth, outlining the problems of pushing through a social revolution in the context of a trade union. The difficulties faced, both within and without the movement, are objectively examined. Staniszkis engages in some self-criticism, suggesting that the intellectuals used their semantic superiority to constrain the demands of the workers. She also describes how Solidarity gradually exhibited increasing institutional rigidity and even authoritarian tendencies. Staniszkis's sociological bent, however, provides the most interesting insights in the work. The history of social protest in totalitarian regimes is portrayed as a regenerative process; different forms of protest emerge, and are absorbed by...