Publisher's Synopsis
In this volume, one of a series edited by Michael Leifer of the London School of Economics, the authors examine Soviet foreign policy toward South-East Asia in the context of the perestroika-era transformations in the Soviet Union. The rigidly compartmentalized decision-making structure of the Soviet Union before Gorbachev made it possible to analyze foreign policy decisions in isolation from the aims and values of domestic politics. Perestroika changed all that. Long-suppressed political activity re-emerged to break down the barriers between foreign policy and domestic politics. The book looks at the actual developments in South-East Asia, including the growth of international trade in the region, the weakening of the Soviet alliance with Vietnam and the real effort to overcome old hostilities with growth areas such as Brunei and Singapore. The resolution of the Cambodian problem, regionalism in South-East Asia and the South China Sea episode are also covered. Buszynski's real theme, however, is the complete adjustment of Soviet foreign policy-making under Gorbachev, with the Asia-Pacific region as a convenient example.
