Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book analyses politicians, editorialists and those academic experts on the Soviet Union that were called Sovietologists. It concentrates on how the elites interpreted events of relevance for the foreign and security policies of their countries. The book then explores the analysis of Mikhail Gorbachev's foreign policy in four countries (France, Great Britain, Sweden and the United States). It also examines the role of the Soviet Union played for each of the four countries during the post-war period. The book consists of the analysis of the speeches made by the politicians in the four countries. It also discusses the editorials in elite newspapers. The book then assesses the writings of the Sovietologists. It compares and assesses the analysis of Soviet politics across actors within the respective countries, as well as across countries.