Strategic tools of influencing third world attitudes: The case of Soviet-U.S. rivalry
Titel:
Strategic tools of influencing third world attitudes: The case of Soviet-U.S. rivalry
Auteur:
Imai, Kunihiko
Verschenen in:
Comparative strategy
Paginering:
Jaargang 11 (1992) nr. 4 pagina's 409-430
Jaar:
1992-10
Inhoud:
This article analyzes if, and how much, Soviet tools for making friends with countries in the South—such as trade, arms transfers, treaties of friendship and cooperation, as well as the ideological orientation of Third World states—helped the Soviets to achieve their intended objective. The degree of closeness between Moscow and individual Third World regimes is labeled as alignment, which is measured by using the rate of agreement between them in terms of their votings in the roll-call votes of the General Assembly of the United Nations. While supporting the generally negative view expressed by many scholars about the efficacy of Soviet foreign-policy instruments, this article reveals evidence of a strong impact arms transfers had on Third World regimes. Further, the findings suggest that the general consensus in our discipline about the postwar transformation of the global system from a military to a trading world is still premature, particularly for Third World countries, many of whom are concerned more about their security than economic prosperity.
Tijdschrift beschrijving