The United States, Western Europe, and the Polish crisis : international relations in the second cold war

This book examines the response of the Western Alliance to the Polish Crisis (1980-83). The author analyzes the different views of Europe and the US regarding enforcement in East-West relations and the opposition in western Europe to the American approach. This case exemplifies the lasting differences in attitude within the Western Alliance. The Polish Crisis of 1980/81 - triggered by the emergence of the first independent trade union in communist Poland, Solidarity - signalled a turning point in the Cold War. Abstaining from military intervention, the Warsaw Pact left Poland under the leadership of Jaruzelski to impose martial law. Only with the benefit of hindsight do opinions converge to describe the crisis as an indicator of the imminent collapse of Soviet control. This book examines the response of the Western Alliance to these events. The author analyses the different views of Europe and the United States regarding enforcement in East-West relations and the opposition in Western Europe to the American approach. This case exemplifies the lasting differences in attitude within the Western Alliance Cover 1 Contents 8 Acknowledgements 10 1 Introduction 12 Part I The Crisis 30 2 The Double-Edged Sword of the Polish Crisis 32 3 Balancing Democracy and Security 52 4 After Martial Law: Disarray in the Western Camp 74 Part II National Responses 102 5 The United States: Human Rights as Power Politics 104 6 The Europeans 118 7 Conclusion: The Cold War Between Human Rights and Security 144 Notes 158 Bibliography 197 Index 209 Annotation This book examines the response of the Western Alliance to the Polish Crisis (1980-83). The author analyses the different views of Europe and the United States regarding enforcement in East-West relations and the opposition in Western Europe to the American approach. This case exemplifies the lasting differences in attitude within the Western Alliance