Külpolitika - A Magyar Külügyi Intézet elméleti-politikai folyóirata - 1978 (5. évfolyam)
1978 / 1. szám - KÖNYVEKRŐL - A Szovjetunió diplomáciai dokumentumai 1938.
the international position of Australia between 1945 and 1973, with special emphasis on the dissolution of the foreign policy consensus, and the ongoing foreign policy debate after 1966. In the mid-sixties Australia’s international status matured. The strategic and economic importance of the country has grown, largely due to the raw material reserves discovered in recent decades. The author points to the increased importance of Japan compared to the role of the traditional allies, and to changes in Australian ideas concerning national security in the light of the changed international situation. The second part tries to draw up a balance sheet of the foreign policy of the 1973—1975 Labor government headed by Gough Whitlam, and of the conservative coalition led by Malcolm Fraser which replaced it. The Whitlam government made a positive contribution to the process of detente, being repsonsible for a more open outlook towards the socialist countries. It supported disarmament and the cause of collective security. It modifed, though without radical changes, the country’s links with the United States, as well as seeking a community of interests with the countries of the Third World as regards opposing foreign monopolies, raw materials diplomacy etc., though its ideas were not always realistic. The coalition which returned to power in 1975 wound their way back to a Cold War policy in a number of respects, including rearmament. This was connected with the economic crisis that shook the capitalist world, and with the general livening up of anti-détente activities. The hard facts of international affairs however force the present Australian government as well to rely on the options offered by peaceful coexistence. .Sándor Pirityi: Military secrets, rearmament and security Does it make sense to be as secretive as possible about military matters, or is it more rational to take advantage of the instruments of publicity to give greater effect to military might? Is deterrence possible if the quantity and quality of existent weapon systems is kept secret? States and power blocks confronting each other engage in a voluntary exchange of information which mutually serves to increase security and confidence. Furthermore, in the age of détente certain states have unilaterally published information that is important from the aspect of universal peace and security. The author discusses the obligation to exchange security-policy information in terms of treaties and documents such as the Antarctis Treaty, the 1967 Peaceful Outer Space Agreement, the SALT documents, agreements designed to prevent the accidental outbreak of nuclear war, the Helsinki Final Document etc. He also deals with problems of ambiguity in military information, and with the importance of White Books that describe the armaments of particular countries. László J. Kiss: A typology of contemporary international conflicts The authors’s starting point is that the sociology of international relations ought to be accorded pride of place in a Marxist inter-disciplinary study of conflicts. The Marxist approach stresses the socio-historical determination of conflict, and also that the subject, structure, type and development of a conflict are closely interrelated. The Marxist concept of international conflict must be clearly distinguished in the first place from the construction of mathematical models, the theory of games, cybernetic systems theory and other universal conflict interpretations, without denying their methodological and heuristic use. In the last resort, however, a historical and logical analysis are the only way. An international conflict is a relationship between two or more parties in which the contradiction on which the conflict is based is reproduced. The contradiction may bear an economic, political, ideological, national, religious, territorial or other character. The decisive aspect is that they take shape in international relations, and these are, in the last resort, defined by economic interests. A complex system of economic, social, legal, and diplomatic relations takes shape in international conflicts. They have numerous new features linked to the changes in international power relations and scientific and technological developments. Military-technological as well as communications and energy world-systems now exist, political decisions have been speeded, up and the number of transnational processes is increasing in the capitalist world. The uncontrollable element in international crises has grown in importance, and so has the danger that local conflicts may be internationalized. A Marxist typology lists the following types of conflicts: 1) Conflicts that reflect contradictions manifest in the international relations of the two socio-political systems; 2) Conflicts between capitalist and developing countries; 3)-Conflicts that reflect contradictions within the imperialist world; 4) Conflicts that express contradictions within the developing world. There is nothing rigid or dogmatic about this Marxist typology, it is not exhaustive, and can be further refined. The article concludes with a discussion of methods of resolving international conflicts. VIII
