The Soviet Union and India

by Peter J.S. Duncan

The author assesses the balance of costs and benefits to the USSR of its considerable economic and military involvement with India; considers the effects of changing domestic, regional and global conditions and looks at the effects on the West. This book should be of interest to students of politics and international relations.

150 pages, Paperback

First published January 5, 1989

About the author

Dr Pete Duncan is a Senior Lecturer at SSEES, UCL in London, England.

In the field of Russian foreign policy, my book The Soviet Union and India provides a detailed analysis of a relationship between the USSR and a major partner in what was then known as the Third World. It provided a perspective on Gorbachev's foreign policy innovations, at a time when there was much debate as to where these would lead. In internal Russian politics, my contributions to the co-authored The Road to Post-Communism: Independent Political Movements in the Soviet Union, 1985-1991 explained the dynamics of change within the Russian Republic. My Russian Messianism brought together themes from the history of Russian philosophy and political thought, the internal evolution of the Russian state, and Russia's geopolitical role.

My current research is on the relationship between internal change and foreign policy development in the Russian Federation, under El'tsin, Putin and Medvedev. This considers the rise and nature of Russian nationalism, the rise and fall of the oligarchs, the effects of leadership change and the impact of authoritarianism. I am writing a book on this for Routledge.

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Soviet Union and India is a Council on Foreign Relations analysis of the ways in which the Soviet Union and India have held diplomatic relations from the post World War II era through the late 1980’s. This book looks at the goals of both and India’s role as a head of the non-aligned movement and what that meant as the largest receipt of Soviet Aid to a non-communist country. It also covers what the Soviet’s gained from their relationship with India during this time and the role Pakistan played in the relations with the west. It is a straight to the point and engaging read if you have an interest in international relations and I learned a lot in a short number of pages from what was written here. Definitely a great primer for those looking for an overview on the topic.