East/West Conflict and European Neutrality

This book aims to provide a comprehensive picture of European neutrality in the East-West setting. Professor Hakovirta argues that neutrality is not merely an academic construction, but has real significance for neutral European States and not only gives individual States a sense of international identity and self-confidence, but also attracts members to alliances. The author goes on to explore how the main European neutrals - Austria, Finland, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland - have fared in the face of East-West confrontations, and analyzes the neutral states' role as third parties in the control and resolution of East-West conflicts. The work uses comparative case studies to illuminate the general features of neutral foreign policies in Europe and their implications for the alliances and the East-West system as a whole. The book concludes with an over all appreciation of the viability of neutrality as an option in European foreign policy.Table of ContentPart 1 An approach to the study of international neutrality: the problem of isolation and singular knowledge; viability of East-West neutrality or the theme of the study; the scope and structure of analysis; basic definitions; norms of neutrality - an application of social science norm theory; credibility and respectability. Part 2 The place of neutrality in the East-West system: the three main neutrality-relevant characteristics of the East-West system; basic asymmetries in the positions of neutral States; the new problem of neutrality; the expansion and diversification of European neutrality; fragmentation and neutralism; excursion - non-alignment and neutrality in Europe. Part 3 Involvement and non-involvement in alliances and related systems: introduction; inherent involvement - positions in the East-West confrontation; great-power alliances; indirect participation in a great-power alliance; small-power alliances; bilateral military commitments to a bloc leader; regional integration - policies of participation; regional integration - political consequences. Part 4 Abstention and impartiality in East-West crises: East-West crises as tests of neutrality; three aspects of standtaking; genuine cold war crises; crises resulting from Soviet interventions; crises resulting from US interventions; Middle-East crises; Third World East-West crises; overall distributions and patterns; consequences. Part 5 Contributions by European neutral states to the pacification of East-West conflicts: bridge-building; mediation; independent ideas, initiatives and proposals; "technical" services; consequences. Part 6 Conclusions - viability of European neutrality: general observations; credibility and respectability; normative context. Bibliography. Index.