> Given the overwhelming leftist bias of most academic historians,
 >  it's hard to imagine how this could play out, whatever you
 > think of Reagan.  As our distance from the political battles of
 >  the 1980s increases, it seems almost inevitable that his
 > rating will improve, simply because there will be fewer historians
 >  who remember him as their hated conservative enemy and more who 
consider him as the man who was elected in 1980 (when the most 
important IR
 > book of the last generation or so, _War & Change in World 
Politics_ was
 > published and spent its last chapter on how the US would deal 
with the
 > Soviet Union's _inevitable_ rise to equality in terms of world 
power) and
 > left office in 1989 with the USSR almost on its knees.  This is 
not a small
 > change, to put it mildly.
 >


You, may be right Gautam, but its always been my contention that the 
Soviet Union was doomed to failure with or without


-- 
Doug

email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.zo.com/~brighto

"Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the
fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first
existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the
higher consideration." A. Lincoln's First Annual Message to
Congress, December 3, 1861.


 > > consider him as the man who was elected in 1980 (when the
 > most important IR book of the last generation or so, _War &
 > Change in World Politics_ was published and spent its last
 > chapter on how the US would deal with the Soviet Union's
 > _inevitable_ rise to equality in terms of world power) and left
 >  office in 1989 with the USSR almost on its knees.  This is not
 >  a small change, to put it mildly.
 >


You, may be right Gautam, but its always been my contention that the 
Soviet Union was doomed to failure with or without Reagan and that 
the transition - especially in the hands of a capable leader like 
Gorbachov - would have been smoother without the virtual kick in the 
ass that Reagan provided.  Or would you credit Reagan with the 
creation of Perestroika and Glasnost?  The Soviets were going to 
transition from the old school to a younger generation of leaders 
with or without Reagan.

-- 
Doug

email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.zo.com/~brighto

"Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the
fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first
existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the
higher consideration." A. Lincoln's First Annual Message to
Congress, December 3, 1861.

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