John Lenczowski surveys the current political landscape of the Soviet Union's apparent reforms and new freedoms, but instead of lauding the Soviets for their efforts, Mr. Lenczowski views them cautiously. He argues that reforms have happened throughout Soviet history, and all have ended with a rebirth of tyranny. The current changes are more an effort to appease the people for purposes of internal security that to cause any reform of the Communist Party's fundamental principles. With current events viewed in this light, Mr. Lenczowski recommends that the United States policy proceed with prudence. We know very little of what really goes on behind the closed doors of the Soviet government; the Cold War is not over. In order for the United States to maintain its own in this struggle, we must find the meaning behind these so-called changes before we react to them.

John Lenczowski is presently Senior Fellow at the Council for Inter-American Security in Washington, D.C., Adjunct Professor at the International Freedom Foundation, Adjunct Professor of National Security Studies at Georgetown University and Consultant to the U.S. Department of State. He received his Ph.D. at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and is the author of Soviet Perceptions of the U.S. Foreign Policy (1982) and numerous other publications on Soviet affairs and U.S. foreign policy.

$3.00; 60 pages; ISBN 1-878802-01-1