POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC DETERMINANTS OF EAST—WEST ECONOMIC RELATIONS

This paper attempts to assess the significance of political and economic factors which influence East-West economic relations. While emphasizing the great importance of the political relationship between East and West for economic relations, the author ultimately attributes greater concrete significance to economic influences — which presently include, in particular, the economic situation in Western countries and the indebtedness of the CMEA nations in the West. A more positive development of East-West economic relations would, in his opinion, require greater allowances for the economic needs and possibilities of both sides. East-West economic relations are generally regarded as a special form of international economic relations. The purpose of this essay is to examine more closely the special features characterizing these relations. As far as possible, we shall make a systematic presentation of these special features and analyse their significance for the practice and further development of "intersystemary" economic relations.