Superpower Competition and Crisis Prevention in the Third World

A 1990 examination of superpower competition in the Third World and the likelihood of it causing acute crises.

Roy Allison (Edited by), Phil Williams (Edited by)

9780521125895, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 14 January 2010

296 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.7 cm, 0.44 kg

This 1990 publication puts forward the view that superpower competition in the Third World has always carried with it the likelihood of acute crises and that this likelihood may be reduced through a variety of tacit understandings or explicit agreements between Washington and Moscow. As the central study from the Ford Foundation/Southampton University project on North/South security relations, the text brings together specialists from a variety of backgrounds to identify the roots of the competitive relationship in the 1970s and 1980s and then consider a range of specific regional conflicts in which both superpowers have been involved. Although superpower collaboration had increased, the long-term character and intentions of Soviet and American involvement in the Third World remained uncertain. In these circumstances it was particularly timely to reappraise past experience and assess the future prospects for crisis prevention in politically turbulent and potentially dangerous areas.

Note on contributors
Acknowledgements
1. Superpower competition and crisis prevention in the Third World Roy Allison and Phil Williams
Part I. Superpower Competition: Objective and Instruments: 2. Soviet policies in the Third World: objectives , instruments and constraints Robert S. Litwak
3, US policies in the Third World: objective, instruments and constraints Derek Leebaert
4. US and Soviet maritime rivalry in the Third World Roger W. Barnett
5. Superpower arms transfers to the Third World Joanna Spear and Stuart Croft
Part II. Superpower Competition and Regional Conflict: 6. Superpower interests in Third areas Alexander L. George
7. The superpowers and the Middle East Robert O. Freedman
8. The superpowers and the Gulf Shahram Chubin
9. The superpowers and Southwest Asia Roy Allison
10. The superpowers and Central America and the Caribbean Peter Shearman
11. The superpowers and Southern Africa Geoff R. Berridge
12. The superpowers and Southeast Asia Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu
13. Crisis prevention: patterns and prospects Roy Allison and Phil Williams
Appendices
Index.

Subject Areas: International relations [JPS]