Soviet "New Thinking" and the End of the Cold War: Five Explanations

Abstract

The chapter discusses the soft & rule-oriented modes of constructivism as they have been brought to bear on Gorbachev-espoused Soviet "new thinking," the collapse of the USSR, & international relations in the post-Cold War era. The fall of the USSR was met by multiple & competing political narratives constructed by interested agents. The West's narrative, guided by the topoi of soft constructivism & largely anti-Marxist, has dominated the mainstream & refocused international relations analysis on neorealism, neoliberalism, & globalism. But other constructivisms, however marginalized, remain imperative for understanding Gorbachev's "new thinking" & its failure. 2 Tables, 77 References. K. Coddon