Description
Book SynopsisReappraises the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union based on the author's 35-year career as a specialist in Soviet and post-Soviet affairs. Explores the psychological universe of Soviet rulers to clarify the nature of Mikhail Gorbachev's reforms.
Trade Review“Dick Combs was by training and experience a leading analyst of Soviet doctrine and behavior within the U.S. from the early 1960s until the late 1990s. His book combines scholarly exegesis with historical narrative. It will interest anyone seeking to make sense of the sudden collapse of the Soviet state. Its account of decision-making and advocacy within the Department of State and the National Security Council is equally compelling. In short, Mr. Combs has made a significant contribution to the international history of the twentieth century.”
—Richard H. Ullman,David K.E. Bruce Professor of International Affairs, Emeritus, Princeton University
“Synthesizing memoir, history, and policy analysis, Dick Combs’s book combines an instructive inside account of a high-ranking American diplomat’s years in the Soviet Union with a critical analysis of the evolution of Soviet thinking about world affairs. It also analyzes American thinking about the USSR and applies the lessons of all this to understand post-Soviet Russian politics and foreign policy, and American misperceptions thereof.”
—William Taubman,Amherst College
“Dick Combs’s study is a welcome addition to the many memoirs and scholarly studies devoted to the end of the Cold War and the demise of the Soviet Union. Readers will be rewarded with a fresh view, penetrating insights, and—equally important—a very good read.”
—Jack F. Matlock, Jr.
“Throughout the post-Soviet period, the Nunn-Lugar program has been a primary vehicle through which the new Russian-American relationship has evolved. Dick Combs was one of the original conceptualizers of that program, born of his understanding of the deep-seated social and psychic strains unleashed by the Soviet collapse, but also a major facilitator of the policy’s application through his mastery of the Russian language and his appreciation of the sensibilities of the Russian people and their leaders.”
—Senator Richard Lugar
“I greatly benefited from Dick Combs’s deep understanding of Soviet culture and thinking during his service as my U.S. Senate foreign policy advisor. His depth of knowledge and balanced judgment are clearly reflected in this book, which offers fresh, persuasive analysis of the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union. Policymakers, academics, and the public can draw important foreign policy lessons from Combs’s insightful account.”
—former U.S. senator Sam Nunn
“Overall, Inside the Soviet Alternate Universe is a sophisticated, well-reasoned argument about the demise of the USSR and the problems of dealing with different mindsets and cultures. As such, Combs’s book deserves study by historians, analysts, and politicians alike.”
—Jonathan M. House History: Reviews of New Books
Table of ContentsContents
Foreword: Myths That Mislead
Jack F. Matlock Jr.
Author’s Preface
Part One. Reminiscence: Ten Years Inside the Empire
Introduction to Part One
1. Initial Encounters with the Other Side
2. Working Levels of the Soviet Regime
3. Stagnation and Disaffection
4. The Beginning of the End
Part Two. Reflection: A Neglected Psychological Perspective
Introduction to Part Two
5. Comprehending Another Political World
6. Formation of the Soviet Conception of Governance
7. The Conception’s Evolution Under Khrushchev and Brezhnev
8. Gorbachev and the Conception’s Terminal Phase
Part Three. Relevance: Psychological Milieu and Current Foreign Policy Issues
Introduction to Part Three
9. Reappraising the Cold War’s End and the Empire’s Fall I: Key Pieces of the Puzzle
10. Reappraising the Cold War’s End and the Empire’s Fall II: Fitting the Pieces Together
11. Empire and Democracy in Post-Soviet Russia
12. An Analytical Blind Spot and Its Consequences
Notes
Bibliography
Index
