Realism has been the subject of critical scrutiny for some time and this examination aims to identify and define its strengths and shortcomings, making a contribution to the study of international relations.

This volume is a survey of Soviet-Israeli relations from the time when the U.S.S.R. supported the establishment of Israel's independence in 1947-48. Although diplomatic relations have been broken since 1967, the author shows how many contacts there have been, from conversations at the foreign minister level to the visits of individuals and delegations.

The events of 1991 in the Persian Gulf, which saw Iraq import enough armaments to defy the major powers, have brought the questions of arms trading to the head of the international agenda. In this text, international relations theory is applied to the transfer of military capability for the purpose of fortifying the national security of sovereign states. The author examines past patterns of arms transfer and the influences of international factors on policymakers. International relations theory is applied to the transfer of military capability for the purpose of fortifying the national security of sovereign states. The author examines past patterns of arms transfer and the influences of international factors on policymakers, in order to show that the arms trade has gone far beyond the control of individual nation states.

Few regions of the world are as politically turbulent as the Middle East, and nowhere is the potential for superpower conflict greater. How does the Soviet Union view the Middle east conflict? Can the USSR play a constructive role in the peace process? In this volume, first published in 1990, these questions and others central to an understanding of Soviet strategy in the region are addressed. Previous analysts of Soviet-Middle Eastern relations have tended to emphasize either the cooperative or the competitive aspects of Soviet behaviour. Breslauer instead offers the multidimensional concept of ‘collaborative competition’ to describe the mixed motives, ambivalence, and sometimes conflicting perspectives that have informed Soviet strategy in the region. In such an unstable environment. this strategy of collaborative competition has in turn encouraged ‘approach-avoidance’ behaviour; for example, while the Soviets may seek to moderate their radical allies, they remain fearful that these allies, once moderated, might defect to US patronage. Under Gorbachev, the Kremlin continues to pursue this same strategy but with increased attention to improving collaboration, redefining the nature of the competition, and easing the approach-avoidance dilemma. Breslauer argues that these changes could lead to more flexible Soviet behaviour in the region. This volume combines new, in-depth research on Soviet policy with new interpretations, including insights drawn from relevant theories of international relations.

A multilevel theory of international relations that accounts for intended and unintended outcomes of cooperation and conflict

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