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.

Several aspects of Soviet Third-World relations in a capitalist world are looked at in this book. These include tracing the roots of the Third World within the Marxist tradition, and discussing Soviet attitudes to the capitalist world market as they have evolved from the Bolshevik era to today.

This book explores the scope of Moscow's "new thinking" in its Third World context—highlighted by the USSR's surprising withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1988. It reviews the foreign policy record Gorbachev inherited and assesses his economic and strategic priorities in the diplomatic arena.

This book examines the crucial role that Soviet policy toward the Third World played in Soviet efforts to influence the development of the international system in competition with the United States. It traces the evolution of Soviet policy toward the Third World.

In the last quarter century the Soviet Union and the United States have repeatedly come into conflict in various parts of the third world. During this period the most backward third world countries have sometimes proved susceptible to radical revolution, but the countries well on the way to industrialization have moved away from left-wing economic and political policies. In the longer perspective the West has been winning the struggle for the third world. The changes in those countries have been the subject of intense published debate in the Soviet Union—debate on Marxist concepts of the stages of history, on theories of economic development and revolutionary strategy, and on foreign policy. Jerry F. Hough explores the breakup of the orthodox Stalinist position on these issues and the evolution of free-swinging discussion about them. He suggests that, paradoxically, many of the old Stalinist ideas retain their strongest hold in the United States, which has not fully recognized its victory in the third world and the importance of the West's great economic power. The United States too often assumes that radical regimes will inevitably follow the Soviet path of development and that the nature of a regime determines the nature of its foreign policy. Because of these misperceptions, Hough argues the United States misses many opportunities in the third world. It emphasizes military power, even to the extent of undermining its crucial economic power, and it fails to offer the face-saving gestures that would permit Soviet retreats. Hough presents a prescription for an American policy better suited to the new realities in the third world and to the changing Soviet attitude toward them.

The description for this book, Moscow's Third World Strategy, will be forthcoming.

This study investigates the overall Soviet conception of non-alignment in the Third World and assesses Soviet policy in relation to this issue.

This is a thorough and sophisticated study of one of the most critical current issues in world politics. Bruce Porter examines Soviet policy and behaviour in Third World conflicts in the postwar period, focusing particularly on five examples: the Yemeni civil war, the Nigerian civil war, the Yom Kippur war, the Angolan civil war, and the Ogaden war. Aiming to illuminate various complex tactical and operational aspects of the USSR's policy in local conflicts, the author draws on a wide and eclectic range of sources. He pays close attention to the Soviet role as arms supplier and diplomatic actor in relation to both US policy and the dynamics of the local conflict, and he concludes with a careful consideration of the effectiveness of Soviet policy and of the implications for the United States.

As the Cold War draws to a close, new issues inevitably have begun to surface in U.S.-Soviet relations. This reader brings together Soviet and U.S. perspectives on the broad range of challenges that both nations now face. Within the context of a "debate" format that presents parallel U.S. and Soviet views, these timely readings illustrate areas of cooperation and conflict and weigh policy similarities and differences. Topics covered include Soviet-U.S. relations after the Cold War, military and national security debates, and the changing international economic environment. The selections also consider the impact that the evolving Soviet-U.S. interaction is having on the "new" Europe and the developing world. The volume concludes by considering the direction the superpower relationship may take in the future. Students of Soviet and U.S. foreign policy will find this text invaluable in unraveling the complexities of U.S.-Soviet relations.