Morality, ideology, legitimacy and American Soviet policy.

详细信息   

• 作者：Beschel ; Robert Paine ; Jr.
• 学历：Doctor
• 年：1991
• 导师：Nye, Joseph
• 毕业院校：Harvard University
• 专业：Political Science, General.;Political Science, International Law and Relations.
• CBH：9131911
• Country：USA
• 语种：English
• FileSize：42072145
• Pages：797

文摘

This study examines the influence of normative beliefs upon the formation and implementation of American Soviet policy in the twentieth century. It has two objectives. The first is to assess the accuracy of the "realist" model, which holds that ethical and ideological beliefs are largely instrumental, second order considerations used to cloak policies based upon deeper, geopolitical concerns. The second objective is to explore and identify the central components of policy legitimacy in the context of U.S.-Soviet relations.;To address these questions, the thesis makes use of a series of detailed case studies, including: (1) the abrogation of the Russian-American Trade Agreement in 1911; (2) Herbert Hoover's Soviet policy; (3) American recognition of the USSR in 1933; (4&5) the threats to Franklin Roosevelt's recognition policy in 1935 and again in 1939-1940; (6) the decision to aid Russia in 1941; (7) the legitimation of the Truman Doctrine in 1947, and (8) the breakdown of detente under Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Henry Kissinger from 1972-1976.;The study's central conclusion is that U.S.-Soviet policy manifests a range of outcomes on a "realist-idealist" spectrum. A simple or strict realist view, in which moral beliefs are treated largely as the cloak for policies based upon calculations of national interest and geopolitical advantage, grossly misrepresents the complex interaction between power and principle. Students of international affairs would be better served by rejecting this simplistic approach and probing the conditions and circumstances under which normative beliefs and values (as well as considerations of national interest) are likely to play an important role in the policy process.;The study's second major conclusion is that policy legitimacy is a subjective and highly contextual phenomenon. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, there are no essential prerequisites, and a policy's legitimacy will depend heavily upon the nature of the initiative itself and the particular setting in which it is implemented.;In addition to the introduction and case studies, the thesis includes a detailed breakdown of the views of leading realists on the role of moral and ideological beliefs in international affairs. It also includes an appendix in which the terms ideology and legitimacy are defined and the debates surrounding their use explored.