27. 
A vigorous internal discussion has been generated by the need to 
react to changing international events, and to develop a national posi- 
tion on maritime issues. The Soviet Union almost always presents 
a unified policy front in international discussions, but much of this 
is due to the nature of the Soviet foreign service which is designed 
to represent the state as a whole, rather than a particular ministry 
or interest. Worldwide concern over ocean issues, however, has forced 
the Soviet Union, along with other nations, to develop a new genera- 
tion of ocean policy. The exposure to international issues has also 
introduced a new element in the domestic debate over resource alloca- 
tion and appropriate ocean policies. An individual or group contending 
for domestic power or influence can legitimately take the international 
route to promote actions or policies. Soviets frequently use the exam- 
ples of foreign experience and policies as justification for a particular 
program. The increased international contacts provide Soviet spe- 
cialists and politicians with additional information on outside activities 
and an exchange of experience. 
The exposure to the international law of the sea discussions and 
the need to develop national positions also transforms domestic alloca- 
tion controversies into a competition over access to foreign policy- 
making. The composition of Soviet delegations to United Nations Law 
of the Sea sessions indicates both the “constituents” in the domestic 
ocean policymaking process, and institutional interest representation 
at the international level. In the course of the United Nations Seabed 
Committee debates and the Law of the Sea Conference proceedings, 
Soviet delegations have included representatives affiliated with a wide 
range of ministries and agencies concerned with ocean management 
and policy. Delegates were affiliated with the Ministries of Foreign 
Affairs (particularly the Treaty and Legal Department), Fisheries, 
Maritime Fleet, Geology, and Defense (Navy), as well as the State 
Committee for Science and Technology and the U.S.S.R. Academy 
_ of Sciences.'4 One can speculate that the extensive institutional 
representation takes place in order to provide technical expertise at 
the United Nations discussions and for purposes of liaison with 
domestic institutions on international developments. 
The Communist Party remains the dominant, but not the single 
influence in Soviet policymaking. Decisions and their implementation 
are based on both national and specific interests. The technical and 
specialized decisions regarding ocean developments require informa- 
tion input. The structure of Soviet decisionmaking on ocean policy 
reflects this complexity. 
THE COMMUNIST PARTY AND OCEAN AFFAIRS 
THE POLITBURO OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE 
The theory of the Communist Party leadership states that the highest 
party organs, in descending order, are the Congress of the Communist 
Party of the Soviet Union, the Central Committee Plenum, the Central 
Committee Politburo, and the Central Committee Secretariat. The 
actual power distribution is nearly reversed, with the Politburo 
generally acknowledged as primary, and the Secretariat, Central Com- 
See appendix. 
