Word: russia
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...Librarian of Congress, James Billington, a historian of Russian culture who speaks the language, probed for a glimpse of the underlying vision that Gorbachev might hold. How would the Soviet government, he asked, officially commemorate the millennium of Christianity in Russia next year? Gorbachev deftly avoided the question by indicating that his nation's ecclesiastical authorities were making the preparations. How "Russian" was the man? wondered Billington; then he queried him about Soviet writers. Gorbachev's reading was current, and included the so-called village writers, who have deplored the loss of rural values in Russia...
...last 150 Soviet missiles will be sent to Afghanistan. Russia hasn't used atomic weapons against the rag-tag Afghan resistance because they know Pakistan is well-stocked with arms and trigger-fingered. But the Soviets believe their rockets may well do heavy damage to any Afghan villages that are still standing. America may be forced to send a few of the sawed-off missiles to the other side. Welcome to "peace...
...allowed the U.S. a stripped-down deployment of cruise missiles to counter a residual force of SS-20s. Cruise missiles fly subsonically at low altitudes and are vulnerable to enemy air defenses. The Pershing II ballistic missiles arc to the edge of space and can strike targets inside western Russia in a matter of minutes. The deal was repudiated by both men's home offices. It was shot down in Washington (particularly by Perle) because it meant giving up the Pershing II, and in Moscow because it meant allowing even a few U.S. cruise missiles in Europe...
...think that Gorbachev has something up hissleeve," said Eli Kazhdan '91, another formerrefusenik, "Premiers in Russia don't get theirpositions by being nice guys...
...talk of "glasnost" and "perestroika," Gorbachev maintains the iron hand of authoritarian government. The communist regime still does not grant its own citizens freedom of speech, association or the press. Thousands of Soviet citizens continue to fill Russia's jails, mental hospitals and slave labor camps because of their political and religious beliefs...