ABSTRACT
The particular dynamism of the Soviet system derives from its combination of revolutionary righteousness and psychological adeptness. According to a leading Soviet theoretical journal, writing in 1953, any idea of pacifying the imperialists at the price of giving up sympathy and support of the liberation movements of other countries, or with small concessions, is merely bourgeois liberalism and a break with the theory of the class struggle. Soviet negotiators typically adopt a posture of belligerency or intransigence in order to squeeze the last possible gain from the existing relation of forces; and their professions of good will are always abstract, involving no practical consequences. The nature of the Soviet challenge is inherently ambiguous. It uses the "legitimate" language of its opponents in a fashion which distorts its meaning and increases the hesitations of the other side.
