Gorbachev's economic dilemma: An insider's view

Gorbachev's Economic Dilemma: an Insider's View goes right to the heart of what is happening - and what is not happening - in the Soviet Union today.Olimpiad Ioffe was a high-ranking Soviet lawyer before coming to the United States. Now he can write freely about the system he knows intimately.In the eyes of the West, Mikhail Gorbachev is undeniably the most popular Soviet leader in history. His recent economic reforms have been greeted with something approaching euphoria by many Western observers. This book delves into those reforms, exploring which have the potential for genuine and lasting impact.Ioffe explains how the Soviet economic system works. And he reveals why, despite Western enthusiasm, Gorbachev's economic reforms are unfortunately but inevitably doomed by the realities of that system.Olimpiad Ioffe does not deny the personal appeal of Mikhail Gorbachev or the positive impact of glasnost. But Ioffe warns that the apparent "revolution" in the Soviet Union is not what it seems. The West must be wary in making far-reaching geopolitical decisions in response to these deceptive changes. Ioffe's expert analysis provides an important cautionary counterpoint to today's headlines.