ABSTRACT
Spectacular developments have been taking place in the eastern part of the European continent during the summer and early fall of 1989. This chapter explains a great deal of what has happened is positive in terms of allowing greater internal freedom and in improving relations between the Soviet Union on the one hand and Eastern Europe on the other. A closer examination of Soviet statements shows that in the case of Soviet and East European relations, Moscow has not eliminated all the qualifiers. Despite changes in Eastern Europe, the East European states are still highly dependent on the Soviet Union for fuel and raw materials and will continue to be so in the near future. Among the “non-reformist” states in Eastern Europe some changes are taking place, but it is difficult to identify trends or tendencies. For, despite all the positive Soviet signals, Soviet-East European relations are still in a state of flux.
