The Exchange

Through this paper, I am explaining "the exchange" and the reciprocation politics in global affairs with the help of a case study of the movie "Bridge of Spies". "The exchange" provides a means to develop and analyze trust in international politics, hence, it is one of the crucial negotiation tools in international relations.

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The “Bridge of Spies”, directed by Steven Spielberg, pop-ups with a major historical event in the times of the Cold War. The movie tells the story of the exchange of prisoners taking place between the US and the USSR, which brings out a tale, which is extraordinary, impactful and worth watching. The movie highlights one of the first major spy swaps that took place between the two Cold War rivals on the Glienicke Bridge, famously known as the "Bridge of Spies". Also, with the spy exchange, there is another parallel exchange of an American PhD student, whose misfortune was to be on the wrong side of the Wall. The story’s main protagonist, James Donovan [ played by the actor Tom Hanks] is an insurance lawyer, who takes us through the successful negotiation between the two superpowers. The movie depicts the justice system [mostly of the US] and the politics between the two great nations. Spielberg serves us with a gripping story, excellent performances by each actor, meticulously curated events and outstanding dialogue delivery. Many events surrounding the Cold War are very well captured in the movie, which support the core story, making it even more engaging. The story has a linear flow with parallel storytelling of two prisoners, one captured by the US and another by the USSR, alongside we also witness the story of an American PhD student, captured by the German Democratic Republic. Overall, three stories run simultaneously during the course of the movie. The movie starts without dialogues for some time, so it’s just scene by scene context setting in the beginning. Here, the director has made an incredible effort to showcase the silence with the performance and smooth camera panning. The storytelling of the movie is subtle, a product of pure cinema and good entertainment. Director did a good job to illustrate a tale of justice, hope, bonds and alternative ways of communication between nations.

The exchange of spy or spy swap or prisoner exchange during the cold war times was one of the main channels of communication occurring between the two superpowers. The exchange of spies brought the two major powers on the same page and the exchange provided a platform for the negotiations. The exchange shown in the movie of Rudolf Abel of the Soviet Union and Gary Powers of the US was the first such exchange that took place in the history of prisoner exchanges(Crosby, 2019). The Glienicke Bridge connects the cities of Potsdam and Berlin that became a vital passage between the two superpowers in the backdrop of the Cold War and only allowed the movement of the allied personnels (POSCO Newsroom, 2016). The bridge became the major pathway which allowed many prisoners to be traded between the two countries, eventually becoming a crucial part of the cold war negotiations. These instances of exchange illustrate one of the significant tools to manage international relations on the globe. In order to manage their relations amiably, the exchange and reciprocity offered a unique opportunity to different countries with acrimonious relations. International relations are a game of trade of favors or trade-in. The exchange theory is motivated by the mutual gains of two parties (Larson, 1998).

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In the area of exchange, both parties stand benefitted, where they come on the same page in complicated situations. This makes the way for a solution to that situation. Many negotiations between nations result in exchange, where one party does something in return for relative gains from the other party. For example, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, both superpowers used diplomacy to resolve the issue, instead of going for full-blown nuclear war. The USSR withdrew missiles from Cuba, and in exchange the US withdrew its missiles from Italy and Turkey. Even in contemporary times, countries engage with each other on the same conditions. Be it Chinese investments in Pakistan, Africa or Central Europe, there is an exchange of some favors or business for all of the parties involved. China provides capital and infrastructure to underdeveloped countries, and in exchange, China gets access to the existing infrastructure of these countries, like ports for its flagship project, “Belt and Road Initiative [BRI]”.

In the political exchange, as the needs are complementary, not identical, it often involves the trade of different concessions. Like in the 1970s, the Nixon Administration granted a trade concession to Soviets during the detente era, easing the tensions between them and its result manifested through signing of various arms control treaties like Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and Helsinki Accords. There have been many exchanges taking place throughout the course of history which carry the same message of political exchange. For instance in 2019, Iran freed Xiyue Wang, an American graduate imprisoned in Tehran for more than three years on the charges of espionage. The US exchanged him for Masoud Soleimani, an Iranian scientist charged with violating American Trade sanctions (Medina, 2022). So countries come to this juncture when they both have something to trade and gain in return. As in the case depicted in the movie, where the US has caught Abel for spying in the US, James Donovan is appointed to defend him. James put forth the argument of not to give Abel the death penalty, instead, to keep him as an asset, which could be traded in the future. And in the turn of events, this opportunity was dropped, when the Gary Power’s [American pilot] plane was shot down by the Soviets for spying in Soviet airspace. Hence, the US had Abel and the Soviet had Powers. Therefore, both the Cold War rivals arrived at a juncture where they both had each other's spies to trade.

The 'Bridge of Spies' explicitly represents the element of exchange. It shows how the two superpowers came to a consensus, often during times of war. Here talking about the cold war, both superpowers sent their spies to the other bloc for spying. Both countries did have the knowledge of their spy's activities, but when they got caught, both countries feared that spies would undergo harsh interrogation in order to extract crucial information about the enemy country. Both the countries were on the same page as it was a non-zero-sum game. Hence in order to exit from this type of situation and not escalate it into some kind of war, the approach of exchange is a sound diplomatic move subscribed by both of the countries. This approach is a reflection of maturity shown by both sides during the cold war. The exchange also shows how both countries feared World War III or nuclear war, hence making an astute choice.

Not every time the exchange of only humans takes place, the parties also trade humans for non-human goods and services. For example, in the cold war itself, during the Kennedy administration, the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba was one of the most disastrous invasions ever conducted by the US government. The US tasted a humiliating defeat, but in an unusual humanitarian approach, there was an exchange transpiring between the US and Cuba. James Donovan, who facilitated the negotiations with Cuba on the behalf of the Kenndy administration, made an exchange deal with Fidel Castro. Whereby, in exchange for the release of 1113 prisoners of war, Cuba got 53 million dollars worth of US food and medical supplies (Schech, 2022). All of these cases highlight the crucial role of negotiators, space for dialogue, and strategic moves, which helps create a space for communication between warring groups, even if they are in conflict with each other. The bigger picture here shows the humanitarian approach and importance of diplomacy that averts the debilitating effects of war.

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Movie successfully shows the Cold War diplomacy through an exchange mechanism. In international relations, there are various types of exchanges, like loans, military assistance, and infrastructure; all of which are a means to achieve the national interest for the states [Larson 1998]. In return for these concessions, the smaller countries provide resources, a harbor for military use, or ports. Here, the exchange politics gives an upper hand to the bigger power in influencing the smaller ones because of their economic heft and military might. Also, an exchange between enemies has to take place simultaneously, like in the movie, Abel and Powers were simultaneously exchanged on the Glienicke Bridge. This shows the paradox of both powers, where no party wants to appear inferior to the other. It is the deal of "take it or leave it", which is quite evident from the dialogue of Russian embassy officials, “we exchange now or we go home”. This arrangement must have detailed provisions for the successful implementation of the process (Larson, 1998). The exchange which “Bridge of Spies' portrays is the ‘reciprocal exchange’, which is important in negotiations.

The mutual exchange that took place between the US and the USSR depicts the notion of “reciprocity”. It often represents the equivalence of resources between the two behemoths (Larson, 1998). The deal has to be balanced and diplomats try to achieve the same. Also, the negotiator can strategically use the reciprocal principle by making inflated demands (Larson, 1998). The skilful and strategic negotiation by James Donovan showcases this which led to the exchange of two prisoners from the USSR [Powers and Pryor] in return for one from the US[Abel]. Hence the mechanism of exchange and reciprocation in international relations permitted cooperation during the times of the cold war (Keohane, 2020). Both parties have some interest, the politics behind this is just channeled through this exchange. It also becomes an effective tool for the prevention of unprecedented chaos.

The time of the cold war and the contemporary international world order was and continues to be complex, where countries are engaged in both conflict and cooperation for strategic interaction, maintaining relations and fostering peace which comes through reconciliation. For maintaining the peaceful fabric of world order, exchange politics does hold water. Moreover, the exchange theory also provides a means to develop and analyze the trust in international politics (Larson, 1998). Overall, the bigger aim achieved through exchanges is of sustaining and managing peace in international relations, and averting wars and conflicts (Keohane, 2020). The non-exchange approach includes the use of arms and force, which is not in the interest of any country (Larson, 1998). Hence it was Donovan’s negotiations, the will of both superpowers and fear of war that made the notion of exchange an attractive mechanism to promote conversations between these superpowers in the movie. The exchanges were the channels of communications among the nation states in cold war times and are still relevant today as one of the gateways to practice diplomacy.

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By- Pradyumna Rathod

I am Pradyumna Rathod, a master’s graduate in politics and international affairs. My sheer interest lies in politics, food and films and I always try to connect them, to develop unique observations.

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References

·Larson, D. (1998). Exchange and reciprocity in international negotiations. International Negotiation.

·Keohane, R. (2020). Reciprocity in international relations. The MIT Press.

·Schech, S. (2022). Assembling humanitarianism in the Cold War: The role of the Red Cross in the Bay of Pigs Prisoner Exchange. Journal of Historical Geography.

·Medina, E. (2022). Here are some prisoner swaps that freed Americans. The New York Times.

·Crosby, A. (2019). For your spies only: A brief history of Cold War prisoner swaps. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

·Glienicke Bridge: The Steel Bridge of spies. – Official POSCO Newsroom. (2016) https://newsroom.posco.com/en/glienicke-bridge-the-steel-bridge-of-spies/