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Economic warfare or detente: An assessment of East-West economic relations in the 1980s
JOURNAL
OF COMPARATIVE
ECONOMICS
12, 148- 149 ( 1988)
REINHARD RODE AND HANNS-DIETER JACOBSEN,Economic Warfare or Detente: An Assessment of East- West Economic Relations in the 1980s. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1985. xii + 301 pp. $30.00. Reinhard Rode and Hanns-Dieter Jacobsen have prepared an excellent and important book. All of those working in the area of East-West economic relations will benefit from reading it. Rode begins the book by calling attention to a very important point: “The significance of economic relations in the East-West conflict remains unclear, and the assumptions of academics and politicians are numerous and contradictory” (p. 1). He goes on to call attention to the disagreements over the importance of East-West economic relations and over the perceived consequences and costs and benefits. Quite appropriately, Rode notes the need for more careful analysis of the many important questions surrounding EastWest economic relations. He argues rightly that there are both analytical and normative reasons requiring such studies. Therefore, the book attempts to contribute to a pressing need in an important area of international and comparative economic studies. Although East-West economic relations have generated considerable debate and conflict in the last decade, we still know very little about the important issues surrounding the topic (for example, that concerning the relationship between trade and detente). Among other things, the book helps clarify what we do and do not know about some of the specific and general questions surrounding East-West economic relations. The book begins with a thoughtful theoretical discussion of the issues and provides an excellent summary of the “state of research” in this area. Rode notes that “empirical research offers no clear conclusions on the significance of East-West economic cooperation, and most general studies are, at best, equivocal” (p. 9). He is quite right in calling attention to this unfortunate and undeniable state of affairs. The book is comprised of a section on different aspects of economic relations (Jochen Betkenhagen on trade, Klaus Schroder on credit, Jurgen Notzold on technology transfer, Klaus Bolz on industrial cooperation, Friedemann Muller on energy, and with Peter Knirsch providing a summary); a section on western policies (Angela Stent on the Federal Republic of Germany, Hanns-Dieter Jacobsen on inter-German relations, Renata Fritsch-Boumazel on France, Stephen Woolcock on Great Britain, Giuseppe Schiavone on Italy, Mathias 0141~5967188
$3.00
Copyright 0 1988 by Academic Press, Inc.
All rights of reproduction in any form resewed.
148
BOOK REVIEWS
149
Jopp on the European Community, Reinhard Rode on the United States, Harald Muller on U.S. energy policy, Jacobsen on U.S. export controls, Petra Pissulla on international organizations, and with a summary by Reinhard Rode); a section on Eastern policies (Heinrich Machowski on the Soviet Union and Franz-Lothar Altmann on the East European countries); and a concluding section on the political and economic consequences (a chapter by Gunnar Adler-Karlsson on embargoes and sanctions, and one by Jacobsen and Rode drawing upon the foregoing chapters to address the major themes raised in the introductory chapter). In their conclusion, the editors admit “it is very likely that research will not be able to come up with more than tentative results, on the basis of presumptive evidence, for a long time to come. Given the lack of adequate theory precise statements concerning the relationships between cause and effect are simply not feasible” (p. 294). They also conclude that recent analyses provide no clear answers to questions concerning the interrelationships between East-West trade and detente. They go on, however, to provide a very useful summary suggesting what we do and do not know about the interrelationships and about other important costs and benefits of East-West economic relations. Overall, the editors and contributors to this excellent book should be commended for making an important contribution to the difficult but significant task of moving the topic of East-West economic relations from the politicized polemics of the past to the more rational and thoughtful considerations required in the future. GARYBERTSCH The University of Georgia Athens, Georgia 30602
OF COMPARATIVE
ECONOMICS
12, 148- 149 ( 1988)
REINHARD RODE AND HANNS-DIETER JACOBSEN,Economic Warfare or Detente: An Assessment of East- West Economic Relations in the 1980s. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1985. xii + 301 pp. $30.00. Reinhard Rode and Hanns-Dieter Jacobsen have prepared an excellent and important book. All of those working in the area of East-West economic relations will benefit from reading it. Rode begins the book by calling attention to a very important point: “The significance of economic relations in the East-West conflict remains unclear, and the assumptions of academics and politicians are numerous and contradictory” (p. 1). He goes on to call attention to the disagreements over the importance of East-West economic relations and over the perceived consequences and costs and benefits. Quite appropriately, Rode notes the need for more careful analysis of the many important questions surrounding EastWest economic relations. He argues rightly that there are both analytical and normative reasons requiring such studies. Therefore, the book attempts to contribute to a pressing need in an important area of international and comparative economic studies. Although East-West economic relations have generated considerable debate and conflict in the last decade, we still know very little about the important issues surrounding the topic (for example, that concerning the relationship between trade and detente). Among other things, the book helps clarify what we do and do not know about some of the specific and general questions surrounding East-West economic relations. The book begins with a thoughtful theoretical discussion of the issues and provides an excellent summary of the “state of research” in this area. Rode notes that “empirical research offers no clear conclusions on the significance of East-West economic cooperation, and most general studies are, at best, equivocal” (p. 9). He is quite right in calling attention to this unfortunate and undeniable state of affairs. The book is comprised of a section on different aspects of economic relations (Jochen Betkenhagen on trade, Klaus Schroder on credit, Jurgen Notzold on technology transfer, Klaus Bolz on industrial cooperation, Friedemann Muller on energy, and with Peter Knirsch providing a summary); a section on western policies (Angela Stent on the Federal Republic of Germany, Hanns-Dieter Jacobsen on inter-German relations, Renata Fritsch-Boumazel on France, Stephen Woolcock on Great Britain, Giuseppe Schiavone on Italy, Mathias 0141~5967188
$3.00
Copyright 0 1988 by Academic Press, Inc.
All rights of reproduction in any form resewed.
148
BOOK REVIEWS
149
Jopp on the European Community, Reinhard Rode on the United States, Harald Muller on U.S. energy policy, Jacobsen on U.S. export controls, Petra Pissulla on international organizations, and with a summary by Reinhard Rode); a section on Eastern policies (Heinrich Machowski on the Soviet Union and Franz-Lothar Altmann on the East European countries); and a concluding section on the political and economic consequences (a chapter by Gunnar Adler-Karlsson on embargoes and sanctions, and one by Jacobsen and Rode drawing upon the foregoing chapters to address the major themes raised in the introductory chapter). In their conclusion, the editors admit “it is very likely that research will not be able to come up with more than tentative results, on the basis of presumptive evidence, for a long time to come. Given the lack of adequate theory precise statements concerning the relationships between cause and effect are simply not feasible” (p. 294). They also conclude that recent analyses provide no clear answers to questions concerning the interrelationships between East-West trade and detente. They go on, however, to provide a very useful summary suggesting what we do and do not know about the interrelationships and about other important costs and benefits of East-West economic relations. Overall, the editors and contributors to this excellent book should be commended for making an important contribution to the difficult but significant task of moving the topic of East-West economic relations from the politicized polemics of the past to the more rational and thoughtful considerations required in the future. GARYBERTSCH The University of Georgia Athens, Georgia 30602