The Wars of Eduard Shevardnadze

by Carolyn M. Ekedahl and Melvin A. Goodman

When Eduard Shevardnadze resigned as foreign minister of the Soviet Union in 1990, he ended one of the most remarkable and controversial political partnerships in modern history. Together with Mikhail Gorbachev and Alexander Yakovlev, Shevardnadze led the dramatic Soviet about-face in the 1980s that ended the Cold War and transformed the international political climate. While Gorbachev and Yakovlev focused on domestic reform, Shevardnadze redirected...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0271016043
• ISBN13: 9780271016047
• Release Date: February 1997
• Publisher: Penn State University Press
• Length: 348 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Necessary for the student of any type of Soviet studies

I bought this book because I am a student of all things Georgian. However, while reading the book, I was constantly impressed how important this book would be for anyone who wants to have even the most basic understanding of Cold War politics or Soviet/Post-soviet studies. The book is a nice synopsis of the events leading to the dismantling of the Soviet empire. Its most obvious flaw is the tiring repetition; Although I usually benefit from repetition as a comprehension tool, this book went overboard, and hearing the same thing repeated for the fifth or sixth time became distracting towards the end.Considering that the jury is "still out" on Shevardnadze and his deeds, especially as president of Georgia, I found the author tended to lean towards a typical Baker/Schultz (and US foreign policy) pro-Shevardnadze conclusion. Minor criticisms aside, I'm glad the author wrote the book, and I glad I read it.

excellent analysis of the last Soviet foreign minister.

"The Wars of Eduard Shevardnadze" is an excellent description and analysis of the former Soviet foreign minister and his role in bringing an end to the Cold War. The book treats Shevardnadze's background in the Soviet republic of Georgia as well as his current role as the president of Georgia. The book is the only biography of Shevardnadze.