I'm so glad I'm not a Russian. Those guys have a really manipulative way of looking at things.
A fascinating book that ought to be taken seriously, even if rejected
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 16 years ago
This is a difficult book - allow me to attempt to review it with the hope that someone reading this might be persuaded to temporarily ignore the John Birch Society atmosphere its conclusions engender. I believe it holds the key to certain geostrategic facts which an astute reader will infer, although they are too difficult to describe in a short book review. Golitsyn is an important and controversial defector (1961). This book, however, allegedly provides evidence of his profound paranoia that his critics argue ultimately misled such officers as James Angleton at CIA counterintelligence and inflicted great harm on US national security. This may be true, and Golitsyn's conclusions here are unfalsifiable, but the fact is this is not the book a madman would write, and at least on that basis its propositions ought to be considered seriously if for no other reason than that he is a genuine defector who provided much valuable information to the CIA. His main thesis is that after Stalin (d. 1953), and the German, Polish, and Hungarian revolts (last 1956), the Soviet state faced a profound destabilization. Stalin's power monopoly within the party was so complete there was a succession crisis following his death; his methods were so brutal re the newly created Soviet satellites that the populations took the opportunity of his death to revolt. Tito's rejection of Stalinism and Moscow's friction with Mao in particular also demonstrated dangers posed to the new Communist bloc's strategy of promoting revolution in the West and elsewhere. Lastly, and perhaps most urgently, the Soviet Union determined export by revolution through military means could never be accomplished in light of the advent of nuclear weapons and the West's determination (NATO, etc.) to unite against a united Communist bloc. Golitsyn contends that these problems were all resolved by the time of several party congresses held in 1959-1960, when he was a major in the KGB's strategic development department. The strategy adopted was one of profound subversion: instead of military confrontation by a united Bloc as the main weapon, the Soviet Union and its satellite governments agreed, while maintaining a credible military deterrent, to project an image of internal disunity while dedicating all its intelligence apparatus - many many times the size of the CIA and utterly unbound by laws or human rights considerations - to subverting the West. By pursuing this project over a long period of time - decades - the West would be oblivious to it, since its political horizon is the 4 or 6 year election cycle of a republic. Moreover, this type of thinking is simply alien to a West bound deeply to its own national traditions. The Politburo, however, was not bound by elections, and its leaders could be in power for a generation or more. The Soviet/Bloc time horizon was therefore very much wider. The purpose was this: by projecting an image of disunity and various fractures, the West was expect
Soviet style mindset pervades Russian Leadership
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
Anybody who believes that Russia is not a authoritarian state is living in a dream world. The name has changed but the power brokers behind the scene remain the same. The fact that Putin, a high ranking KGB agent is in power attests to who really runs Russia today. I wonder if Yeltsin died of natural causes? Do an internet study on Yamantau and explain to me how an impoverish country can afford to build a complex such as this among almost 200 others. The gullible West has pumped billions into Russia to help its economy while Russia continues to upgrade its military and Nuclear capability. Our stupidity is going to cost us dearly.
Russia Under Putin and Golitsynian Perspective
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 18 years ago
It's quite shocking how much of Golitsyn's warnings have come true. How the West is quite blind into trusting "former" KGB types such as Putin whom echo the words of dedicated Marxists that the "fall" of the USSR was a "geo-political disaster". Quite shocking as how even the "peace" movement of today are still in the hands of our enemies such as people Justin Raimondo whom has praised Putin "going after neo-cons". And how members of the "peace" movement see "neo-cons" as a greater threat than someone like a "former" Communist like Putin.
The new deceptively cute-and-cuddily collectivism...
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
Is Anatoliy Golitsyn right? Moreover, is Perestroika little more than a false front for the "dead" Soviet Union. This top-ranking KGB GRU defector reveals the long-term gameplan and disinformation campaign for the now "dead" Soviet Union. Analysts have pointed out that Golitsyn had an incredibly high degree of accuracy in his predictions in New Lies for Old. What distinguishes the bloodless 1991 coup in Moscow from all the other coups? Basically, the same people are running the show. Perestroika was little more than an image-cleaning act for the Evil Empire, which was designed to give an outward appearance of democratic reforms. The new veneer of the CIS and the Russian Federation erased the evil empire perception of the Western masses. Coincidentally, it set the stage for Trilaterialist and internationalists in the west to send billions in foreign aid and Western military cuts. The KGB set the stage for the coup-d'etat in 1991. Since then the KGB repositioned itself above the Communist Party and has only tightened its grip and hold over the Soviet sphere. This book is just the tip of the iceberg. If you really want to do your homework on Perestroika and the 'fate' of the Soviet Union... I'd recommend reading Golitsyn's other book, The Perestroika Deception. Also, I recommend The State Within a State: The KGB and Its Hold on Russia-Past, Present, and Future by Yevgenia Albats and Red Cocaine by Joseph Douglas. Popular books in the limelight like the Mitrokin Archive are interesting, but aren't hitting the nail on the head about Perestroika. Reading a primer on Marxism-Leninism ideology such as Marxism by Thomas Sowell or Understanding the Times by David Noebel might help you see how Perestroika fits in with communist ideology. You'll see that the act of the Communists supposedly going capitalist is compatible with Marxist-Leninism and fits in perfectly with the Marxist dialectal view of history (synthesis of communism/capitalism.) The important thing for the ruling elite is that they secure their power in the New World Order. I'll leave you with a quote by Mikhail Gorbachev in speech to the Politboro in 1987: "Gentlemen, comrades, do not be concerned about all you hear about glasnost and perestroika and democracy in the coming years. These are primarily for outward consumption. There will be no significant internal change within the Soviet Union, other than for cosmetic purposes. Our purpose is to disarm the Americans and let them fall asleep."The new gameplan for the collectivists and their New World Order is Fabianism (e.g. Fabian school of Economics,) which works gradually-inch-by-inch-at advancing international socialism and working towards the leviathan of total world government.
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