The Surrogate War, the Boycott, and the Search for a Hidden Story

Abstract

The assumption that began this study was simple enough: the Soviet Union, a state with very complex and interrelated domestic and foreign policies, would most likely have a goal behind its decision to boycott the Olympics. Given the nuanced decisions behind most of Soviet policies, it is not unreasonable to assume that the Soviet decision to boycott the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics was not simply retaliatory. Hans Morgenthau illustrated that diplomacy is neither haphazard nor uncalculated.¹ His study of international relations is actually an excellent presentation of precisely how deliberate and carefully designed foreign relations are between states. Of even greater significance is Thomas Schelling’s study of conflict, in which he delineates the concept of bargaining between two or more states.²