International regimes, agenda-setting and linkage groups in U.S.-Soviet relations: The Helsinki process and divided spouses.

Abstract

This dissertation addresses two basic issues in U.S.-Soviet and international relations: (a) How do states develop and define rules of behavior and/or cooperation and achieve compliance with these rules of the game? (b) What is the impact of internal and external influences, actions and events on the foreign policies of the United States and Soviet Union and their compliance with agreed to rules of the game? The Helsinki Final Act of 1975 defined rules of behavior in three major areas: security, trade, and human contacts. Procedures for review of compliance and consideration of new proposals evolved in follow up conferences. Human rights have been the source of considerable conflict between East and West in these Helsinki reviews. Among the human contacts issues addressed in the Helsinki process are marriages between citizens of different states. This issue attracted much attention in the U.S. during the early 1980's as the number of separated Soviet-American couples increased dramatically. This dissertation employs two modes of analysis in its examination of the evolution of the Helsinki process and the problems of the divided U.S.-Soviet spouses. The first is international regime theory, which focuses on the definition of principles, norms, rules and decision-making procedures in influencing states' behavior. Alternatively, a model is developed combining John Kingdon's theory of agenda setting and Karl Deutsch's idea of a linkage system through which an outside environment attempts to have an impact on a state. Regime theory is found to have little explanatory power in terms of Soviet non-compliance and compliance with Helsinki human contacts norms. The concept lacks specific criteria for determining when a regime exists and under what circumstances it has an impact on the action of states. The agenda setting/linkage system model has greater explanatory power. It identifies various factors (i.e., western commitment and pressure, leadership changes, high level meetings, and policy linkages) contributing to the evolution of human contacts issues, including the divided spouses, in U.S.-Soviet relations and Soviet behavior.