Description
Book SynopsisA broad-ranging history of defectors from the Communist world to the West and how their Cold War treatment shaped present-day restrictions on cross-border movement.Defectors fleeing the Soviet Union seized the world''s attention during the Cold War. Their stories were given sensational news coverage and dramatized in spy novels and films. Upon reaching the West, they were entitled to special benefits, including financial assistance and permanent residency. In contrast to other migrants, defectors were pursued by the states they left even as they were eagerly sought by the United States and its allies. Taking part in a risky game that played out across the globe, defectors sought to transcend the limitations of the Cold War world.Defectors follows their treacherous journeys and looks at how their unauthorized flight via land, sea, and air gave shape to a globalized world. It charts a global struggle over defectors that unfolded among rival intelligence agencies operating in the shadows
Trade ReviewA nuanced look at deep complications underneath stories of asylum seekers in their journey 'from tyranny to liberty'. * Kirkus *
Erik R. Scott's Defectors is a groundbreaking work of Cold War history and a real page-turner. Scott combines excellent storytelling with powerful arguments about migration, sovereignty, borders, and international law. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in Soviet-American relations and their impact on the wider world. * Francine Hirsch, author of Soviet Judgment at Nuremberg: A New History of the International Military Tribunal after World War II *
This timely and deeply researched book shows how the historical conception and implementation of 'walls' can help to situate current debates about globalization and population flows. It is a major contribution to our understanding of the human and political dimensions of the first Cold War, showing how the superpowers colluded as well as competed in their efforts to define their borders. * Diane P. Koenker, University College London *
Erik Scott deftly incorporates the motives, trajectories, and experiences of Soviet defectors into a subtle analysis of the efforts made by the major state protagonists during the Cold War to manage international migration in the post-World War II era. His carefully researched, illuminating, and intriguing book deserves to be widely read by students of international history. * Peter Gatrell, author of The Unsettling of Europe: How Migration Reshaped a Continent *
Zooming in to the case of the Soviet Union, Scott broadens our perspective on the critically important topic of emigration and the efforts to prevent it in the Cold War world. A must-read for anyone who wants to understand more about the haunting effects of defection. * Tara Zahra, author of Against the World: Anti-Globalism and Mass Politics Between the World Wars *
Both seasoned Sovietologists and newcomers to Cold War history will find food for thought in this creative reevaluation of the era's geopolitics. * Publishers Weekly *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: Defectors and the Spaces in Between Part I: Building Borders Chapter 1: From Displacement to Defection Chapter 2: Between Intelligence and Counterintelligence Chapter 3: Socialist Borders in a Global Age Part II: Governing Global Mobility Chapter 4: Soviets Abroad Chapter 5: International Waters Chapter 6: Cold War Airspaces Conclusion: After Defection Notes Sources and Select Bibliography Index
