Word: brandts
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Czechoslovak Debacle. One of Brandt's first ventures in Ostpolitik had a bad ending. As Foreign Minister in the Grand Coalition of Christian Democrats and Social Democrats, Brandt established relations with Rumania early in 1967 and offered diplomatic and economic ties to Czechoslovakia. The Soviets seized on the West German approaches to Prague as a major pretext for crushing Alexander Dubček's idealistic experiment of wedding Western-style political liberties with Communism. Now Brandt is far more cautious...
...What are Brandt's major aims? In the Moscow negotiations, he hopes to achieve a nonaggression pact in which the Soviets will, in effect, renounce their rights as victors, under the Potsdam Agreement and United Nations Charter, to intervene in West Germany against a military or political threat. Though Soviet intervention may seem remote, Bonn would rest more easily if the Russians disclaimed those rights. In Warsaw, Brandt hopes to lay the foundation for the future establishment of full diplomatic recognition and stronger cultural and economic ties. But as Polish Foreign Minister Stefan Jedrychowski told Tinnin, Poland insists...
...dealings with the East bloc, Brandt has leverage in two major areas. Faced with the Chinese threat in the east, the Soviets are eager to win West German ratification of the present borders of Europe. Moscow seems to fear that in the event of serious trouble with the Chinese, the West might use the old German territorial claims to blackmail or attack the East bloc...
...other area of Brandt's leverage is trade and technical aid. East Germany's own economic success has stemmed largely from increasing trade with West Germany. Both Poland and the Soviet Union want West German credits and know-how to help get their stagnating economies moving...
...What can Brandt expect in return? In the short term, perhaps, very little. In the long term, however, the West Germans might be able to share in exploiting Siberia's natural wealth. Politically, Brandt at best can hope for an improved political climate and toning down of Communist propaganda against West Germany...