Western Perceptions of Soviet Goals

Mutual mistrust over long-range political goals has been a major obstacle to East-West co-operation over the last quarter century. This study traces the facts, figures, fears and ideological prejudices that have contributed to this mistrust and recommends ways of reducing distrust and fostering more productive, non-threatening competition between the two social systems. The authors - scholars from the United States, Canada and Western Europe - offer their assessments of the long-range goals of Soviet political and economic reforms and explore the possibilities for overcoming ideological differences.