Les relations économiques et commerciales soviéto-américaines de 1961 à 1974

Soviet-US Commercial and Economie Relations (1961-1974). Economie and commercial relations between the U.S.A. and the Soviet Union are unique, not only because of their proportion, but because they bring together the two greatest world powers, each of which represents a distinctive socio-economic system. These relations are not recent; there was the great period of the thirties, then relations dwindled to practically nothing during the cold war, not to become important again until the end of the sixties. The rapid progression of exchanges in the early seventies might indicate that a new era, dominated by East-West trade has begun. Although this would certainly contribute to world balance, the present upswing of exchanges does not indicate what the future holds. In fact, heavy contingencies, rooted in the antagonism between respective political ideologies, bear strongly on relations between the two countries. Deep-seated anti-communism on the part of the American people is reflected in Congressional reluctancy to liberalize US-Soviet exchanges. Paradoxically, the Administration seems willing to abolish most of the cold war controls. On the Soviet side, economic and structural obstacles, such as central planning of the economy and the deficit in the East-West balance of trade, considerably hamper an increase in the exchanges. An examination of the American and Soviet economies reveals two strong, rich countries, but in different sectors. The U.S.S.R. possesses abundant natural resources, many of which are unexploited or difficult to attain; alongside of this, there are the problems of the technology lag and the perennial inadequacies of agriculture which particularly shackle the Soviet government at a time when it places emphasis on raising the standard of living. In exchange for agricultural and technological goods and know-how, the U.S.S.R. can export certain raw materials to the US; the rise in gold and fuel prices has certainly reinforced the Soviet position in this sector. The U.S.S.R. is hence an exploitable market for the U.S.A. Thus, the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R. appear, even by virtue of their differences, to be natural trade partners. The complementary of the two economies renders a division of labor theoretically possible. Important economic relations are desirable to maintain world balance. The increase of exchanges will be what the American and Soviet governments make of it

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