THE KREMLIN AND THE WEST: A Realistic Approach

by Wolfgang Leonhard ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 24, 1986

A fusionist approach to Western relations with the Soviet Union, blending the best of the detentists and the hard-liners. Leonhard, who as a Soviet refugee from Nazi Germany became an ardent Communist before defecting in 1950 back to the West, has authored Children of the Revolution, The Kremlin Since Stalin, Three Faces of Marxism, and Eurocommunism, Here, he undertakes to demonstrate to the West exactly with whom it deals in East-West relations. In showing the power of the Politburo, he gives a good general introduction to Soviet demography and politics. In a field that seems to believe in the theory that the only way to write about an arcane system is to write arcanely, Leonhard's highly readable style is refreshing. He believes most of all in balance. He recognizes the legitimacy of the Western hawks' fear of Soviet expansionism, while pointing out their overestimations of Soviet monolithism, and their underestimation of the possibilities for internal change there. Similarly, he chides the doves for their naive avoidance of the dictatorial nature of the Soviet bureaucracy. In the end, Leonhard suggests a nine-point plan for ""a realistic approach"" to relations with the Soviets. The highlights: a building of bridges to the Soviet population while continuing to deal with their apparatchiks, seeking ""business-like"" relations with the Soviets, differentiating between the Soviet Union and its client states, a realistic understanding of both the limits and the opportunities of summitry, more use of Western economic clout to gain objectives from the technology-starved Soviets, and solidarity with Eastern and Soviet reform movements. Well-balanced on the whole, if not totally novel in theory.

Pub Date: Nov. 24, 1986

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Norton

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1986

Categories: NONFICTION