The Soviet Union in the Horn of Africa: The Diplomacy of Intervention and Disengagement

by Robert G. Patman

Overview

The Soviet Union in the Horn of Africa is the first major attempt to address the paradoxes of Soviet behavior in the area. Dr. Patman provides a careful historical background to the recent conflicts and shows how the Soviet Union and its East European partners dramatically switched from being close allies of Somalia to allies of Ethiopia—intervening in the Ethiopian-Somali war of 1977-8 to ensure the military defeat of their former ally. However, he does not confine himself simply to retrospective analysis. He also assesses the Soviet experience in the region in the decade since 1979, and considers in particular the impact of Gorbachev's new thinking and the new diplomacy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521360227
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	06/29/1990
Series:	Cambridge Russian, Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies , #71
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 8.98(h) x 1.10(d)

Table of Contents

List of maps; List of tables; Preface; List of abbreviations; Note on transliteration of Russian words; Introduction; 1. From intervention to disengagement: a framework; Part I. Motivational Aspects: 2. The evolution of a Soviet interest; 3. Entering the 1970s: the Soviet disposition; Part II. The Horn of Opportunity: 4. The budding alliance: Marx, Lenin and Mohammed; 5. The Ethiopian revolution and the quest for a Pax Sovietica; 6. war, realignment and the enforcement of proletarian internationalism; Conclusion; 7. Soviet power without influence?; Appendices; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"[Patman's] extensive and skillful use of Soviet primary sources provides new insights into Moscow's policy of 'calculated opportunism.'" Supported by 60 pages of notes and a 20-page bibliography, this authoritative and well-written work will be indispensable to readers interested in Soviet policy toward the Third World." Choice

From the Publisher