Suchergebnisse

The post-1985 Soviet revolution & collapse of the USSR is the third systemic imperial crisis in Russia since the beginning of the seventeenth century. Three distinctive periods of political development of the USSR in 1991 were marked by: (1) the crackdown in the Baltics in Jan; (2) the "nine plus one" statement on 23 Apr; & (3) the abortive coup in Aug. The economic anarchy & crisis will probably, sooner or later, lead to some form of political crackdown in Russia & in most of the other post-Soviet republics. AA

THE QUESTION 'WHO WON THE COLD WAR?' IS STILL BEING debated. In a way it is certainly right to say that communism is collapsing and that Western capitalism has won the cold war. The Soviet Union (I shall not analyse here the situation in other socialist countries) has in fact recognised the complete failure of its economic system. The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) has lost ground during the relatively free elections in various Soviet republics, etc.Yet we have to take into account that the cold war was largely a war of words, a war of ideas, and in some respects the Soviet Union has done well in the global ideological contest. For a country with a scarcity of food and most elementary consumer goods and with an extensive past record of repression and direct terror it has been extremely successful in establishing its image as a stable and peace-loving partner in the international arena, as a society which is capable of producing more humane, caring, intellectual and trustworthy leaders than most other countries. It is a remarkable achievement and it is even more remarkable that this ideological success has emerged from the ruins of the dull and rigid Brezhnevist ideological machinery.

THIS ARTICLE ADDRESSES VARIOUS QUESTIONS PERTAINING TO GLOBAL SECURITY, GLASNOST, AND INTERPRETATION OF THE RESULTS OF THE END OF THE COLD WAR. SPECIFIC ISSUES CONSIDERED ARE: WHAT IS GLASNOST? WHAT ARE THE MAIN FEATURES OF ITS DEVELOPMENT IN 1985-90? WHAT IS THE PLACE OF GLASNOST IN THE CONTEXT OF THE MAIN POLITICAL DIVIDENDS OF THE SOVIET LEADERSHIP? WHAT ARE THE LIMITS OF THE RETREAT FROM ORTHODOX COMMUNIST POSITIONS? WHAT IS THE PROSPECT OF GLASNOST IN THE LIGHT OF THE MAIN SCENARIOS OF THE USSR'S FUTURE? HOW IS GLASNOST RELATED TO GLOBAL SECURITY?

Assesses possible future developments; concludes that transition to a market economy and preservation of a unitary state are incompatible.

Partial contents: The Soviet dilemma: unity or reform? Nationalities and perestroika; Soviet national movements; From okrug to republic; Secession and the Baltics; Popular fronts and the quasi-multiparty system; Soviet nationalities and U.S. foreign policy.

IT IS NOW OFTEN SAID THAT THE MODERN WORLD IS interdependent, that there is an intensive interaction of military, political, economic and other factors in the world. There is no doubt that one of the most important aspects of this interaction process is the international flow of information, and that political ideas have a special place in that exchange of information.What follows is an attempt to look at some phases in the development of the Soviet perception of Western non-socialist political ideas over the past few years. As is generally known, Soviet ideologists have often emphasized the need for ideological struggle against these non-Marxist, bourgeois political ideas, and they continue to do this even in the present period of perestroika. At the same time it is obvious that major changes are taking place in Soviet political thought.

The recent development of Soviet perceptions of Western nonsocialist ideas is explored, based on key statements made by current Soviet figures (Mikhail Gorbachev, Bovin, Dobrokhotov, Komarovsky, etc). The notions of ideological struggle, peaceful coexistence, & deideologization of interstate relations are examined. It is suggested that: (1) the term ideological struggle should be changed because it is inappropriate; (2) verification & confirmation of Marxist-Leninist precepts should be made independently of ideological concerns; & (3) elements of pluralism & academic freedom in Soviet political thought should be strengthened. J. White