The Cold War Tango: When US and Soviet Leaders Sought Summit Meetings

Summit meetings between Soviet and American leaders critically influenced events during the Cold War. However, despite their significance, little is known about why these meetings transpired. This paper provides a crucial understanding for when leaders sought summit meetings and when the meetings ac...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inDiplomacy and statecraft Vol. 35; no. 4; pp. 704 - 724
Main Author Fehrs, Matthew
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Routledge 01.10.2024
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Cold War
Job security
Leadership
Summit conferences
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Summary:Summit meetings between Soviet and American leaders critically influenced events during the Cold War. However, despite their significance, little is known about why these meetings transpired. This paper provides a crucial understanding for when leaders sought summit meetings and when the meetings actually occurred. Moving beyond previous research that focuses on particular meetings or leaders, this study develops a theory of leadership security to explain why leaders sought summits. This theory is tested using a new dataset developed by the author, with the results showing the tenure in office and job security were more critical in determining the desire for a meeting than strategic or economic concerns.
ISSN:0959-2296
1557-301X
DOI:10.1080/09592296.2024.2421715