Mikhail Gorbachev's new thinking

Historical proccesses are not static nor are the evolution of the thought structures. This is precisely what is happening in the last two decades of the present century. It is, therefore, not accidental that in the international relations new concepts and ideas have been thrown up, which are breaking the narrow shells and blowing into pieces the outmoded parameters of analysis. In this area, the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev perhaps has made the richest contribution. He indeed has set in motion a universal movement for restructuring international relations on the basis of what he calls "the balance of interests" and not on the basis of balance of military power. In this new global approach, Asia and the Pacific region, which has been described as the region of the next century, occupies a key position. That is why his ideas about peace security and cooperation, beginning, with his famous Vladivostok speech on July 28, 1986, have attracted world wide attention. This book is a modest contribution to stimulate frank, open and uninhibited discussions on these proposals. In the first part of this book his important speeches and writings on this theme have been compiled, while the second part includes a critical estimate of these proposals by the Indian scholars. Important documents and articles by Asian scholars have been included in the appendices for ready reference.

In a period of rapid changes in Asia and the Pacific region, both in the realm of politico-economic structures and thought processes, this book will be of immense value to researchers, students of international affairs and above all to the policy makers in this region.