Perestroika and the Third World

Since April 1985, the Soviet Union has attracted considerable attention the world over for its ongoing process of 'perestroika' or restructuring and the accompanying phenomenon of 'glasnost' or openness. The processes signified by perestroika and glasnost are very complex, have specific historic origins and dynamics, and encompass economic, political and ideological aspects. A major part of the processes concern internal changes in Societ Union. There are, however, significant aspects of perestroika which have important international implications. It is not the purpose of this paper to go into all aspects of perestroika. Rather, this paper has the limited purpose of examining some of the implications of the 'new thinking' on international relations associated with perestroika specifically by looking at the changing status of the concept of 'neocolonialism' in Soviet literature, especially since the onset of perestroika. Before proceeding further, we must note that in discussing the changing coceptualisations of neocolonialism in current Soviet writing, we will be drawing not only on official CPSU documents (to which the present writer has a rather limited access), but also on writings of Soviet academicians. In the current period of 'glasnost' such writings need not always represent the 'official' view. However, we consider this procedure to be justified since often in the current Soviet debate such academic writings have been used as trial balloons to promote certain types of understanding which subsequently find their way into official documents

Development economics · Economics · Epistemology · Neocolonialism · Openness to experience · Phenomenon · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Social science · Sociology · Soviet union · Law · Philosophy · Psychology · Russia and Soviet political economy · Soviet and Russian History

• Soviet Studies of Neocolonialism

  Open Access•Svetlana Bokeriya, Anna S Davidchuk et al.•Vestnik RUDN International…•2022

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