Soviet-Third World Relations presents an overview of Soviet policy toward the less-developed countries and considers the determinants of that policy and its reflection in action. The authors first examine the theoretical underpinnings of Soviet-Third World policy, including Leninism and Soviet developmental models, and explore the tensions between prescribed "progressive" development strategies and the realities of Third World political processes. Next, the authors present a detailed look at the record of Soviet activities in the Third World. This is a chronological and regional account, which describes Soviet policy in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Asia. This part also provides a discussion of the openings (such as local conflicts, "liberationist" movements, and socialist causes) and the obstacles (nationalism, anti-imperialism, the volatility of Third World politics) to Soviet policy in the Third World. It closes with an analysis of Soviet foreign policy tools, and asks whether chosen policy instruments achieve their desired objectives. In the final section of the book, the authors look at the decision-making context for Soviet-Third World relations, including an analysis of Soviet objectives, decision-making variables, and the participants in the decision-making process. They conclude by assessing trends in Soviet-Third World relations, the successes and failures of Soviet activities in the nonindustrial world, and analyzing the current situation. Here they address as well the lessons learned from the past and the prospects for the post-Brezhnev, post-Andropov era.

Offers cutting-edge perspectives on how international development has shaped the global history of the modern world.

This book seeks to understand the evolution of Soviet policy towards the countries of South Asia, the regional constraints and policy opportunities which influenced the policy process in Moscow, and the relationship between Soviet perceptions and policy objectives. The author divides Soviet foreign policy into three aspects: a perceptual aspect in which assessment of the regional and international environment occurs; a formulative aspect in which aims and strategies are developed; and an implementation aspect. The book analyses Soviet policy objectives and instruments in distinct historical phases: 1970-1978, which covers the Indo-Pakistani War and bilateral relations; 1979-1985, which covers the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and and its impact on regional politics; and 1985 to the present which examines the Gorbachev era and the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring The Cold War dominated international life from the end of World War II to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. But how did the conflict begin? Why did it move from its initial origins in Postwar Europe to encompass virtually every corner of the globe? And why, after lasting so long, did the war end so suddenly and unexpectedly? Robert McMahon considers these questions and more, as well as looking at the legacy of the Cold War and its impact on international relations today. The Cold War: A Very Short Introduction is a truly international history, not just of the Soviet-American struggle at its heart, but also of the waves of decolonization, revolutionary nationalism, and state formation that swept the non-Western world in the wake of World War II. McMahon places the 'Hot Wars' that cost millions of lives in Korea, Vietnam, and elsewhere within the larger framework of global superpower competition. He shows how the United States and the Soviet Union both became empires over the course of the Cold War, and argues that perceived security needs and fears shaped U.S. and Soviet decisions from the beginning—far more, in fact, than did their economic and territorial ambitions. He unpacks how these needs and fears were conditioned by the divergent cultures, ideologies, and historical experiences of the two principal contestants and their allies. Covering the years 1945-1990, this second edition uses recent scholarship and newly available documents to offer a fuller analysis of the Vietnam War, the changing global politics of the 1970s, and the end of the Cold War. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

The conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War has long been understood in a global context, but Jeremy Friedman's Shadow Cold War delves deeper into the era to examine the competition between the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China for the leadership of the world revolution. When a world of newly independent states emerged from decolonization desperately poor and politically disorganized, Moscow and Beijing turned their focus to attracting these new entities, setting the stage for Sino-Soviet competition. Based on archival research from ten countries, including new materials from Russia and China, many no longer accessible to researchers, this book examines how China sought to mobilize Asia, Africa, and Latin America to seize the revolutionary mantle from the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union adapted to win it back, transforming the nature of socialist revolution in the process. This groundbreaking book is the first to explore the significance of this second Cold War that China and the Soviet Union fought in the shadow of the capitalist-communist clash.

In 1991, a small group of Russians emerged from the collapse of the Soviet Union and enjoyed one of the greatest transfers of wealth ever seen, claiming ownership of some of the most valuable petroleum, natural gas and metal deposits in the world. By 1997, five of those individuals were on Forbes Magazine's list of the world's richest billionaires.