This book analyzes East-West economic and political relations in the context of the policies of the major Eastern and Western countries. The authors, a group of international scholars, examine the potential use of East-West trade as an instrument to influence Eastern policies, and they assess the effects of U.S. unilateral imposition of embargoes and sanctions against the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries. They conclude that although East-West economic relations suffer during times of increased international tension, trade between them is an important stabilizing element.

In recent years, the United States and the Federal Republic of Germany have disagreed sharply over the politics and economics of East-West relations. This book examines the political and economic premises behind American and West German approaches toward East-West commerce and analyzes the degree to which views differ. The contributors, a mix of Ge

In this volume the perceptive reader will find many clues to the future of the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, East-West economic relations and the impact of governments in this area. The authors are aware of the mistakes of the past, the limitations of centralized planning, the dangers and the futility of confrontation; and the global significance of the new roles that governments must play in the transitional period of political and economic reform in the East.

The conference proceedings on which this book is based reflect a continued concern for the salience of East-West economic relations not only for the role they play in the volatile relations between East an West but also as an essential part of the global environment.