Systematic Problems: American Policy Toward the Soviet Union

Abstract

The United States differs from other Western countries in its policy toward the Soviet Union in two basic ways. The structural differences are obvious. The United States is a superpower and the leader of the Western Alliance. It has the world’s largest GNP and more than 25,000 nuclear weapons. Naturally, that external situation has an effect on domestic attitudes. For small powers, the external environment tends to provide clear signals but, for a large country such as the United States, the environment is less constraining. Americans have more room for choice, and where there is room for choice, there is an opportunity for contention.KeywordsForeign PolicyPolicy ProcessAmerican PoliticsExecutive BranchPostwar PeriodThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.