ABSTRACT
The Soviet Union's position on neutrality has always been ambiguous. It was defined and treated according to its own interests and needs rather than according to the established rules of international law and practice. To the Soviet Union, neutrality served as a means either to "neutralize" potentially hostile neighbors when it was weak or to prevent smaller states from joining the Western Alliance when it was strong. In a period of so much change, neutrality acquires a new dimension and significance, not only because of its predictability but also because it could become, more than ever, a factor of stability. Perhaps the neutrals are of more relevance when it comes to the question of whether any East European country should embark on the road toward some kind of neutrality. The neutrals should look at developments in Eastern Europe not like spectators watching a drama unfolding on a distant stage but rather like actors on that stage.
