The Interaction Pattern: Basic Motivations and Goals of West German and Soviet Foreign Policy

Abstract

A thorough assessment of specific foreign policies requires an understanding of the patterns of actions and responses between two particular states. Essential to such an understanding of interaction patterns is a determination and examination of the basic motivations and goals of the foreign policies of the respective countries. With full consideration of applicable strategic, economic, cultural, ideological, and historical factors, an attempt will be made to construct a framework of basic motivations and goals of West German and Soviet foreign policy, which will also provide an insight into the values attributed to the various policy goals. Basic motivations may imply ultimate values, which cannot be empirically confirmed. However, the compatability of foreign policy goals with basic policy motivation is at least to some degree subject to verification.1