ABSTRACT
The major lesson to Europeans, however, would have been, and continues to be, that US companies are apparently subject to political decisions in Washington, which are neither predictable nor very well reasoned. The answer is probably negative because in the US system foreign trade is considered a privilege subject to foreign policy or security controls within the framework of discretion established by laws and regulations. There is, furthermore, a continuing process of adjusting the denial list within the Coordinating Committee for East-West Trade. Champions for intervention in trade have to realize that there can only be an impact where there is continuity and predictability in principle. Trade relations have to be developed over years and cultivated. If the desire persists to use trade as a tool for foreign policy, the responsibilities of the various US government agencies need to be absolutely clear. European companies have received conflicting signals.
