Unequal Partners [antikvár]

Preface The theoretical core of this book has been the focus of a Carleton University research project on the foreign policy in asymmetrical dyads. The theory had been tested with reference to Canadian-U.S. relations, but the chapters presented in this book broaden the empirical basis by focusing on two such unequal partnerships, Austria and the Federal Republic of Germany, on the one hand, and Canada and the United States, on the other, and by distinguishing between different dimensions, notably the historical, political, economic, cultural, and media aspects of the relationships. The combination of a comparative approach with a multidimensional treatment transcends the standard literature on inequality in international relations, which is generally confined to a single dyad and rarely encompasses more than the political or economic aspects of that relationship. This study has deliberately created its own, albeit reversed, asymmetry, as it is written from the perspective of the subordinate rather than the dominant actors. It thereby tries to redress, even if only in a small way, the customary neglect of the smaller states at the expense of a natural preoccupation with the policies of the major international actors like the United States and the Federal Republic of Germany. We are greatly indebted to Dr. Elisabeth Mach, Cultural and Press Affairs Counselor at the Austrian Embassy in Ottawa, Dr. Elke Schmitz, Cultural Counsellor at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Ottawa, and to Professor Frederick Engelmann of the University of Alberta, who provided valuable assistance and encouragement throughout the long planning process for the symposium in Ottawa where the chapters appearing in this volume were originally presented as conference papers. Brenda Sutherland typed the manuscript with customary vigor and exemplary cheerfulness, and Susanna Mai completed the volume at the Austrian Institute for International Affairs. We are also indebted to Westview Press for including the book in the Austrian Institute for International Affairs Series and for their editing assistance. We are grateful for the financial assistance that was provided by the Austrian Foreign Ministry, the Canadian Department of External Affairs, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Harald von Riekhoff Hanspeter Neuhold xiu