| ID | 090663 |
| Title Proper | Transforming the Soviet sphere of Influence |
| Other Title Information | U.S.-Soviet detente and Eastern Europe, 1969-1976 |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Selvage, Douglas E |
| Publication | 2009. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | This brings us to the second major aspect of Nixon and Kissinger's foreign policy: recognition of the sovereignty of the East European communist states and encouragement of greater independence on their part in foreign and domestic policy. Both the Nixon and Ford administrations rejected the Brezhnev Doctrine of limited sovereignty, pronounced by Moscow in the wake of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968-namely, that the Soviet Union and its allies had the right to intervene, even militarily, if they believed that the survival of communism in a "fraternal" state was under threat. Both administrations also sought to encourage the communist regimes of Eastern Europe-rather than the people living under them-to pursue more independent policies vis-à-vis Moscow. Basically, the Nixon and Ford administrations believed in working through the existing communist regimes in Eastern Europe in the hope of promoting change over the long term. This put Nixon, Kissinger, and Ford in the position of recognizing and even promoting the sovereignty of the East European communist regimes. |
| `In' analytical Note | Diplomatic History Vol. 33, No. 4; Sep 2009: p671-687 |
| Journal Source | Diplomatic History Vol. 33, No. 4; Sep 2009: p671-687 |
| Key Words | United States ; Soviet Union ; Diplomatic Relations ; Foreign Policy - 1969-1976 |