ABSTRACT
It is clear that the economic health of a country or an alliance is fundamental to its national security. Accordingly, many observers view the economic implications of East-West trade in national security and strategic terms. Some of these observers see East-West trade making an inequitable contribution to Soviet economic strength and military capabilities. 1 They claim that certain trade makes a direct contribution to the Soviet military sector, and even nonstrategic industrial trade makes important contributions to defense related industry and development. Even such nonmilitary commerce as agricultural and grain trade is sometimes seen as "resource freeing," that is, allowing the Soviet Union to free resources for the military sector rather forcing it to invest elsewhere in order to solve its economic and agricultural problems. Overall,such critics see the Soviet Union as gaining a disproportionate share of the benefits and the West as selling the proverbial rope, while the suggested political responses to this perceived state of affairs vary, most recommend some version of economic warfare.
