The Soviet Trade Weapon
Strange, Susan. The Soviet Trade Weapon. London: Phoenix House, 1959.
This pamphlet appeared in Background Books series. Taking a rather optimistic (though at that time widespread view) of the Soviet Bloc’s economic situation vis-à-vis the West, Strange concludes that Soviet economic (and political) influence is reliant on economic ‘trouble-spots’ and the aversion by many developing states to the West’s recent history of colonialism. This leads her to suggest that money then spent on military aid might be better spent helping developing countries deal with agricultural surplus capacity in the global a market, a theme she would return to in “The Management of Surplus Capacity” (1979). Furthermore, the economic cycle in the developed states could be better managed to reduce the destabilising effects on primary producers. Thus political activism by the West could do much to counter the ‘war without weapons’ represented by the contemporary Soviet trade and aid policy.
Keywords: Porduction, Security, Trade, International Relations