In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

256 SAISREVIEW foreign policy actions. For readers with a limited background in Cuban studies, Domínguez provides a detailed history of the major events since January 1959 and enough prior history to set the context. He draws on the actions of Castro and of other leaders of the Revolution to show the development of communism in Cuba, the role of Marxism-Leninism in their thought and politics, Cuba's role in the bipolar security regime with the United States and U.S.S.R, and the eventual role of the CEMA, the western market economies, and less developed countries in the Cuban economy. Overall, Domínguez makes a convincing argument for some degree of limited independence in the Soviet-Cuban relationship. At the same time, he seems to want it both ways: Cuba as willing servant and Cuba as disobedient child. He points to recent changes in the Soviet-Cuban relationship as merely incidental events in a generally continuous relationship characterized by different yet often convergent foreign policy goals. To Make a World Safe for Revolution is an excellent treatment of Cuban foreign policy and provides fine background material and historical perspective. It is justifiably lacking in projections for future developments, while seemingly suggesting that no changes are to be expected. While such a view is still widely held, recent events in other socialist countries portend changes in what many view as an immutable regime. Public Opinion and National Security in Western Europe. By Richard C. Eichenberg. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1989. 293 pp. $29.95/Cloth. Reviewed by Bernard I. Finel, M.A. Candidate, SAIS Over the past decade and a half of major policy debates within NATO, proponents of every imaginable position have sought to bolster their arguments by citing European public opinion. Whether the issue was nuclear modernization, INF missile deployment, the neutron bomb, burden-sharing, or nuclear battle doctrines, advocates almost always quoted some European poll to support their position. With so many different political persuasions and interests claiming to speak in the name of the European mind, it is difficult to figure out what Europeans really feel. To the rescue comes Richard C. Eichenberg, presently at Tufts University. In this book published under the auspices of the Cornell Studies in Security Affairs, Eichenberg presents a comprehensive and very readable compilation of European public opinion polls dealing with national security. The general issues Eichenberg examines are the perception of the relative military power ofNATO and the Warsaw Pact, the level ofconfidence in America's willingness to come to the aid of NATO, and the perceived threat of Soviet aggression. Other more specific issues include INF deployment, the necessity of an independent European nuclear deterrence, and public vs. military spending priorities. BOOK REVIEWS 257 In each case, Eichenberg presents the relevant data culled from extensive public opinion polls conducted over the past forty years. There are more than a few surprises: European and American perceptions are often very close, Europeans are by and large content with NATO, and Europeans do indeed trust (and maybe even like) Americans. Eichenberg also breaks down the available data into subgroups. For example, he compares views of younger and older generations of Europeans. Eichenberg is keenly interested with the problems posed by the so-called "successor generation." In many cases Eichenberg analyzes public opinion through voting patterns, noting for example that conservatives in most countries have perceived the Warsaw Pact as more powerful and hostile than their liberal counterparts. In addition, Eichenberg compares opinions of European elites to those held by the general population and concludes that elites are much more committed to the Western alliance and less susceptible to opinion swings in reaction to events. All this information may seem a bit overwhelming. However, this is not just a book of facts and numbers. Eichenberg relates the public opinion polls to historic events and decisions. In one sense, Eichenberg presents a history of the NATO alliance, with polls to highlight certain trends and movements. In another sense, Eichenberg uses the polling data to test numerous hypotheses about the way modern democratic societies deal with foreign policy challenges. Third, the polls represent a starting point for Eichenberg's own synthesis...

pdf

Share