Moscow, Germany, And The West From Khrushchev To Gorbachev
Sodaro has his own way of interpreting Soviet foreign policy, seeing it not just as a reflection of great power interests but as a process in which domestic factors, differences among leaders and the interplay of ideas among advisers, diplomats, academics and journalists-"the secondary elite"-influence the decisions made and policies adopted. He identifies various schools of thought-maximalist, Europeanist, Americanist, Atlanticist-each of which has its innings as Soviet policy shifts over time. Whatever one thinks of this approach-and there is much to be said for it-Sodaro has explored and wisely used all relevant material published in Russian and German to follow the course of Soviet as well as G.D.R. policy on the "German question"; that is, first and foremost, relations with the Federal Republic. His book should stand for a long time as a prime source of information and reference on this central aspect of the Cold War.
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