The United States, Western Europe and the Polish Crisis: International Relations in the Second Cold War
by Helene Sjursen

The Polish crisis of 1980 was triggered by the emergence of the first independent trade union Solidarity, in communist Poland, and 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. The symbolic power of the crisis could not be missed even at that time. However, 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 highlights the role of values and differing views of Europe and the United States regarding norm enforcement in East-West relations. Although the West European states differed, they were opposed to the American approach. This cases is an example of the lasting differences in attitude within the Western Alliance.

HELENE SJURSEN is a senior researcher at ARENA (Advanced Research on the Europeanization of the Nation State) at the University of Oslo.

Publishing House: Palgrave Macmillan, New York 2003
Hardcover book measuring 5.75" x 8.75"
212 pages, index
English Language Version

All books are shipped through the U.S. Postal Office using Media Mail service. Typically delivery times are between 1 and 2 weeks. Please be advised, certain destinations in the U.S. may take longer.