Soviet Policy towards South Asia since 1970 [Paperback]

This book traces the evolution of Soviet thinking about South Asia and the Third World from 1970 to the present, and examines how Soviet policy objectives changed during that period.This book traces the evolution of Soviet thinking about South Asia and the Third World from 1970 to the present, and examines how Soviet policy objectives changed during that period. The author offers a unique view of Soviet policy toward a region of particularly unstable states, and addresses all the political, military and economic issues involved.This book traces the evolution of Soviet thinking about South Asia and the Third World from 1970 to the present, and examines how Soviet policy objectives changed during that period. The author offers a unique view of Soviet policy toward a region of particularly unstable states, and addresses all the political, military and economic issues involved.This book traces the evolution of Soviet thinking about South Asia and the Third World from 1970 to the present, and examines how Soviet policy objectives changed during that period. The author offers a unique view of Soviet policy toward a region of particularly unstable states, and addresses all the political, military and economic issues involved, the regional constraints and policy opportunities that influenced the policy process in Moscow, and the relationship between Soviet perceptions and policy objectives.List of tables; Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction: South Asia in the USSR's Third World policy; 2. Soviet perceptions of the Third World and South Asia; 3. The Soviet Union in South Asia: objectives and instruments; 4. Stability and change in Soviet-South Asian relations, 19701978; 5. Soviet-South Asian relations in the wake of Afghanistan, 19781985; 6. Soviet policy towards South Asia in the Gorbachev era; 7. Conclusion; Notes; Index. [Racioppi] deftly uses both primary and secondary sources to provide a crisp summary and discussion of the considerations that shaped the critical choicels˜