To Run the World: The Kremlin's Cold War Bid for Global Power

"It’s an incredible book. I have a lot of respect for the research that went into it, but it’s also written in a very engaging way. It’s the only book where I actually laughed out loud. It’s a very serious book about foreign policy, but the way Sergey Radchenko wrote his narrative…I wouldn’t say it’s light, but again, there’s humor. It’s not the humour that you have with Navalny, where you go with him on his torturous path. In this book, you’re seeing the fate of the world through the eyes of Soviet, Chinese, and American leaders, and yet it’s written with humor and a lightness of touch that you really appreciate. The big question that Radchenko is asking is, ‘What were the drivers and the motives behind Soviet foreign policy? What motivated these individuals?’ He had access to newer archives that allowed him to really plunge into the psychology of decision-making and thinking and attitudes and behavior. He also looks at the psychology of the Chinese and, to some extent, the Americans. But I think the strength of the book is really from his understanding of the Soviets. His answer to the question is that for the Soviets, it was not ideology that was the driving force, but a strong yearning for recognition and prestige. The Soviet leaders wanted the legitimacy of the claims they had—based on their ideology and grand vision of communism and international revolution, etc.—to be recognized by others. They wanted the greatness that they had given to themselves because of their faith in their system and ideology. So it’s about a yearning for status. In that sense, the book is, again, foundational. It’s an idea that is very important. I wouldn’t say that Sergey was the first one to write about it. There has been research done on specific moments in the history of the Soviet Union and Stalin’s foreign policy, that looks at the importance of recognition. But this book looks at the entire Cold War period from the last months of World War Two through to Putin and his arrival to power. I haven’t seen such a nuanced archival research into the main events over a long period of time, looking at what the psychological drivers and motives and interests of the leaders were. This was quite an incredible feat he was able to accomplish. During the Cold War, there was a desire to be a superpower. It’s about running the world along with the other superpower, the United States. The book starts with Stalin and Churchill, who have this famous exchange and divide up the territories at the end of World War Two and put that down on paper. This is the attitude that continues. Then, when you get to Brezhnev, it’s about the recognition of Soviet influence and the Soviet superpower status. It goes through clashes, when the Soviets and the Chinese go through conflict. There was rivalry when Mao berated Khrushchev for giving up on this, giving up on that. Mao tried to bring up the Chinese leadership and the Chinese Revolution as the leader of international communism. But then Brezhnev was able to catch up and reclaim that mantle. So it’s about running the world not as one hegemon, but alongside the other hegemon, the United States, and the struggle for recognition in that position. It’s not about the Soviets running the world, but speaking to the Americans as equals and recognizing each other’s spheres of influence. We have our satellites and clients, and you have your satellites and clients, let’s divide the world up and we can be on good terms. So it’s to run the world along with another big power. You’re right, that’s an important nuance that should be noted."