Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!umich!samsung!psuvax1!psuvm!URVAX!RYLE From: RYLE@URVAX (Martin Ryle) Newsgroups: bit.listserv.history Subject: Re: USSR(#33) Message-ID: Date: 8 Feb 90 01:50:00 GMT Sender: History Reply-To: History Lines: 21 Approved: NETNEWS@PSUVM Gateway X-Envelope-to: HISTORY@FINHUTC.BITNET X-VMS-To: IN%"HISTORY@FINHUTC.BITNET" X-VMS-Cc: RYLE Again, many thanks to V. for the running commentary. Even for those of us in Soviet history, it is tough to keep up with the whirlwind. Two additional items of importance. One is Sheveradnadze's proposal that the two Germanys unite WITHIN NATO. A most startling initiative, and one that I would have utterly discounted as a possibility. May be almost as striking as the move to repeal Art. 6. Zbigniew commented tonight that USSR surely faces ten years of chaos. Perhaps he is right, but his track record as a prognosticator has been dreadful over the past ten years. Seems he is a captive of his cold war scholarship. As the nationalities began to realize that there is no effective barrier to independence, and that the economic problems facing them on the other side of such a move are daunting, they may begin to consider whether federation on equal terms might not be advantageous. On the other hand, Moscow might think with some justification that the RSFSR might be better off were it to secede from the USSR. Martin Ryle Unviversity of Richmond, VA ryle@urvax.urich.edu