The break-up of the Soviet Union was not unplanned
One may agree with many of Stephen Cohen's assessments (The break-up of the Soviet Union ended Russia's march to democracy, December 13), but two of his points need additional comment: the assertion that the Soviet Union was dissolved "without any preparatory stages", and his prioritising of three factors that "broke up the Soviet Union". Sticking to these points in trying to explore the essence of "the most consequential event of the second half of the 20th century" is narrowing the real historical perspective.
First, the decision to formally disband the Soviet Union at the Belovezh Forest meeting in December 1991 was not without preparation.… Seguir leyendo »