Külpolitika - A Magyar Külügyi Intézet elméleti-politikai folyóirata - 1989 (16. évfolyam)

1989 / 1. szám - A tanulmányok orosz és angol nyelvű tartalmi kivonata

safely checked, the budget deficit has vanished and taxes also went down considerably. Nevertheless, the article argues, with many more Thatcherite years to come, the British economy, measured by the purchasing power of average incomes, is still far behind the French or the (West) German economies, not speaking of the United States or Japan. A caution in judgement as to the gross weight of Thatcherite successes is therefore justified.

The article finally takes up some questions of British international efforts and diplomacy, mainly in the context of superpower relationship. The author argues that the driving force behind Mrs. Thatcher’s activities has been her jealous commitment to preserve Britain’s special relationship with the United States. This has brought some benefits to her in terms of special influence on Ronald Reagan and also in forming a special friendship with Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachov. She had advised the Americans to take the Soviet leader’s new thinking seriously but it was also the British Prime Minister who cautioned the Americans against making „too big” concessions to the Soviets. But the main lesson is that the special relationship has never wroked so well between Britain and the USA as in Mrs. Thatcher’s term of office and this friendiship was firmly cemented by the common economic philosophy of Reagan and Mrs. Thatcher. Even if it is not guaranteed for the future, the author concludes.

Mária Rathmann-Túry:

Austria — The Small State Foreign Policy Strategy, its Possibilities and Versions

In the first half of the 80-ties, due to the increasing international tension, it became especially difficult fort the small countries to maintain the-ir freedom of movement in the field of foreign policy and to adapt to the changing conditions. The foreign policy of Austria has been inspired by the following interests and aims?

— action for the sake of returning to détente:

— though a small country still to preserve activity in foreign policy [this is considered to be an important necessity for the security of Austria];

— to prevent the exclusion of Austria from the western European integration and the common technological development in the region, to establish a new relationship with the European Community;

— to widen the relations with the eastern European socialist countries, to uphold in time of East—West tensions the co-operation reaching beyond the „bloc boundaries”.

For the Austrian foreign policy the Helsinki process provided the comprehensive framework in which the small countries — being especially interested in co-operation because of their enhanced vulnerability — could express their security interests on international fora.

The study discusses the activity of the group of the neutral and non-aligued (N+N) countries and the role of Austria in its framework [stressing their performance at the Madrid review meeting, and their mediation at the Stockholm conference and finally the compromise proposal presented by them at the Vienna follow—up conference.] The N+N states represent different versions of neutrality policies, their security policies differ, however the co-ordination of interests among them proved possible.

In the process of foreign policy roleseeking, the important elements of the Austrian small state foreign policy are the following: to participate in the framework of the common action made by the N-f-N states in the all-European processes (especially at the confidence building and disarmament talks); to pursue the so-called boog Hfighbour policy as a regional stabilizing factor; to reassess the relations with the European Economic Community in the light of the new processes connecting the „two Europes”; to move together with the astern European socialiste countries ahead from coexistence to co-operation. A new element is the increasing role of regional policy: the Austrian foreign policy calculates with closer co-operation in the eastern European subregion.

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