Philip D’Agati 
The Cold War and the 1984 Olympic Games 
A Soviet-American Surrogate War

The Soviet boycott of the 1984 Olympic Games is explained as the result of a complex series of events and policies that culminated in a strategic decision to not participate in Los Angeles. Using IR framework, D’Agati developes and argues for the concept of surrogate wars as an alternative means for conflict between states.

Table of Content

1. The Surrogate War, the Boycott, and the Search for a Hidden Story 2. A Primer on Politics in the Olympics 3. Soviet Sports History and the Olympic Movement 4. Montreal, Moscow, and Los Angeles: Bidding for the Games 5. 1980: An American Winter and a Soviet Summer 6. The LAOOC and Soviet Reasons for Not Attending 7. Socialist Inconsistencies and the Security Issue 8. Conclusions on Surrogate Wars, Nested Games, and Soviet Sports Policy

About the author

Philip A. D’Agati is an Assistant Academic Specialist in Political Science and International Relations at Northeastern University, USA. He received an MA in Comparative Politics, an MA in World History, and a Ph D in Political Science from Northeastern University. He is a researcher of nationalism, international organizations, and the role of sport in international politics. He is the author of Nationalism on the World Stage: Cultural Performance at the Olympic Games.