ABSTRACT
In claiming that the international distribution of power is the starting point for understanding international politics, realism need not dismiss the importance of domestic politics. The most striking fact about the Cold War period was the preponderance of power enjoyed by the United States. Over time the power of the United States deteriorated-hardly a surprising development given that Europe and Japan were bound to recover from the devastation of World War II. Consistent with realist analysis, the decline in American power has been accompanied by changes in American policy in both the economic and the security areas. The main instruments of power and leverage in Europe in the future will be economic rather than military. The economies of the smaller states of Eastern and Central Europe are changing quickly. The United States is bound in the future to play a less ambitious role in Europe both economically and militarily.
