Role of Shevardnadze and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Making of SovietDefense and Arms Control Policy

摘要

Since his surprise appointment in July 1985, Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadzehas emerged as Gorbachev's most important foreign policy adviser and an influential figure in internal debates on defense and arms control policy. He also has become increasingly critical of the Soviet military, which has resisted Military of Foreign Affairs (MFA) intrusions into its domain. Shevardnadze's influence on national security policy derives from three sources. First, he is a personal friend of and close political adviser to Gorbachev, with a political stature unmatched by any military officer or defense official. Second, the intense pace of Soviet diplomacy since 1985 has meant that power has gravitated to those individuals and bureaucracies directly involved in East-West negotiations. Third, Gorbachev's new political thinking downplays the importance of military power in international politics, and has been interpreted by Shevardnadze as a mandate to the MFA to monitor the actions of the military to ensure that they are consistent with the USSR's newly proclaimed international obligations. Shevardnadze at first expressed rather traditional views. He supported a strong Soviet military posture and blamed the United States for most international problems. Initially, he did not call for radical changes either in the MFA or in Soviet foreign and defense policy. This situation began to change in May 1986, when Gorbachev gave an unusual speech to the MFA in which he demanded better performance from Soviet diplomats.