ABSTRACT
What explains the choice among different cooperation strategies? The framework developed in this chapter and applied in the case studies in the next six chapters, consists of three elements: (1) the impact of the need to reconcile conflicting policy goals and of the pressure to lower the costs of foreign policy commitments on decisionmakers’ preferences regarding different cooperation strategies; (2) the impact of regional power disparities on the attractiveness of the different cooperation strategies; and (3) the impact of the perceived preferences and goals of the potential regional partners on the attractiveness of the different strategies. The first element is the main factor shaping initial strategy preferences; the latter two elements then influence the final strategy choice. However, before we elaborate on these elements, let us consider other potential explanations for this choice.
