Modern-day US exhibits the same symptoms as George Kennan’s 1946 diagnosis of Soviet pathologies
In the past year, I have been reading about the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union.
I thought the subject relevant since we are already in a second Cold War for some years.
The books include Nicolas Thompson’s The Hawk and the Dove: Paul Nitze, George Kennen, and the History of the Cold War through which I learned about Kennen and his famous The Long Telegram.
Others in the list include Jack Matlock’s Autopsy on An Empire, Vladislav Zubok’s Collapse: the Fall of the Soviet Union, and Serhii Plokhy’s The Last Empire: the Final Days of the Soviet Union.
I also skimmed through John Lewis Gaddis’ The Cold War: A New History.
All are massive dense tomes that overlap significantly. Collectively, they offer a comprehensive, and surprisingly consistent, perspective on Cold War history and Soviet collapse.
Interestingly, several of them are required readings in China’s Central Party School.
For obvious reasons, Beijing has a deep interest to analyze and understand the period and draw lessons from, especially the collapse of the USSR.
As I read through these works, I was struck by the unmistakable parallel between late-stage USSR and contemporary USA.
I am writing down my reflections from the readings in two essays.
In this first piece, I’ll attempt to compare the political realities of USSR with the US today.
In the second piece, I’ll explore the strange parallel between Donald Trump and Mikhail Gorbachev, as I see it...