Superpower politics: change in the United States and the soviet union

The recent thaw in the Cold War is leading to a fundamental transformation of global politics. This textbook aims to explain the latest political changes in the USA and the USSR, and considers the implications for the international order of their decline in power. The book looks at each country's internal and external policy adjustments and emphasizes the constraints felt by Washington and Moscow. Beginning with an account of the history of the superpowers' relationship, it tackles in turn the catalysts for international political change on both the American and Soviet sides. The American section deals with the internal political scene, the economy, Bush's reviews of policy and the predicaments in defence policy bequeathed by Reagan. The Soviet section examines perestroika, new thinking in foreign policy, defence and the politics of Glasnost under Gorbachev. Finally the authors examine the implications of these factors for the stability of the international order. This book is intended as a guide for students of international relations and politics, and for anyone wanting to understand the developments which have altered the configuration of world power..