The Cold War: A View from Russia

The article deals with the questions of origins and the end of the Cold War, as well as its legacy for today. The author contends that 1) the Cold War was caused by a combination of geopolitical, ideological and cultural cleavages between the Soviet Union and the West, 2) the latter had a better system, greater resources and a better Cold War strategy than the USSR, and 3) given this preponderance of Western multidimensional power, the Soviet Union didn’t have a real chance to prevail in this conflict. Although this final outcome was more or less predictable, its particular shape could have been different depending on political leadership and other variables. In conclusion, the author depicts change and continuities in both Russian and American post-Cold War policies pointing out that Russian foreign policy has changed a great deal while the American one has retained its basic thrust.