Book Review: International Politics and Economics: North Atlantic Policy—The Agricultural Gap
| Author | Graham Spry |
| DOI | 10.1177/002070206401900111 |
| Published date | 01 March 1964 |
| Date | 01 March 1964 |
| Subject Matter | Book Review |
86
INTERNATIONAL
JOURNAL
to
draw
clear
demarcation
lines
between
objectivity
and
principles
of
behaviour".
After
this
rather
puzzling
exercise
the
author
turns
to
a
more
down-
to-earth
study
of
influences
on
foreign
policy.
After
noting
that
the
means
available
to
a
state
vary,
he examines
the
effect
on
decision-
makers
of
conservatism,
of
chance,
of
morality
(which
turns
out
to
have a
thin
time),
and reason.
Of
the
last
Mr.
Frankel
interestingly
remarks
that
it
"can
occupy
a
really
prominent
role in
politics only
at
a
price".
One
of
the
most
useful aids
to the
understanding
of
Professor
Frankel's
thesis
is
the
use
of examples
of
various
situations.
To
these
are
added
references
to
many
books
and
articles.
University of
Toronto
G.
DE
T.
GLAZEBROOK
NORTH
ATLANTIC
PoLicy-THE
AGRICULTURAL
GAP.
By
John
0.
Coppock.
1963.
(New
York:
Twentieth
Century
Fund.
xv,
270pp.
Cloth bound
$4.00.
Paper
back
$2.25)
"I
had
three
conversations
with
Mr.
Kennedy,"
Dr.
Adenauer
in.
formed
the
press
after
the
President's
visit
to
Western
Germany
in
July,
"and
each time
he
brought
up
the
subject
of
poultry. Is
he
a
President or
is
he
a
chicken
farmer?"
Mr.
Coppock's
useful
volume
is
concerned
primarily
with
non-tropical
agricultural
products
in
the North
Atlantic
and
therefore
most
significantly
with
cereals.
The
humble
broiler,
however,
now
competing
with
the
legendary
horse-shoe
nail
("for want
of
a
shoe-nail
a
kingdom
was
lost")
in
relations
between
states,
does
earn
some of
Mr.
Coppock's
attention,
and
his
study
appears
at
the
most
appropriate
moment.
President
de
Gaulle's veto
on
Britain's
entry
into
the
European
Economic
Community
flowed
in
part
from
consideration
for
French
agricultural markets, particularly
in
Germany, and
defence
against
Commonwealth
foods. The
sharp
difference
at
the
GATr
negotiations
in
May
between
France
and
her
EEC
associates
and
between
the
EEC
and
the
United
States
alike
had
a
significant
relation
to
agricultural
policies.
The problem
of
agriculture
is indeed
the
key
that
must
be
turned
before
the
way
is
opened
to
that
North
Atlantic
integration
sought
in
the
Kennedy
Trade
Expansion
Act.
The
problem
is
summed
up
in
the title
of
Mr.
Coppock's
first
chapter-"Economic
Integration
and
Autarkic
Agriculture".
Will
the
EEC
in
the
interest
of
EEC
farmers
exclude
or
largely
exclude
the
products
of
other
farmers,
British,
American,
Canadian,
etc.?
Mr.
Coppock's
conclusion
is
that
EEC
policy
is
autarkic,
and
if
present
trends
in
EEC
agriculture
continue-increased
EEC
food
production,
the
emergence
of
EEC
surpluses,
subsidized
competition
in
third
markets,
higher
protective
barriers-then
"from
the
standpoint
of
the
tradi-
tional
suppliers
of
non-tropical
agricultural
commodities..
.
the
future
production
and
demand
pattern
in
Europe
is
a
dark
one indeed" (p.
175).
A
market
might
remain
for
"high
quality
imported
wheat",
but
this
encouragement
to
Canadian
or
American growers of
hard
wheat
To continue reading
Request your trial