| ||
|---|---|---|
Presidency Foreign policy Post-leadership | ||
New political thinking (Russian:Новое политическое мышление), or simplynew thinking (Russian:Новое мышление)[a] was the doctrine put forth byMikhail Gorbachev as part ofhis reforms of theSoviet Union. Its major elements were de-ideologization of international politics, abandoning the concept ofclass struggle, priority of universal human interests over the interests of any class, increasing interdependence of the world, and mutual security based on political rather than military instruments. The doctrine constituted a significant shift from the previous principles ofSoviet foreign policy.[2][3][4]
In 1987, Gorbachev published the bookPerestroika and New Political Thinking;[5] in December 1988, he presented this doctrine of new thinking in his speech to theUnited Nations.[2][6] The concept of "new thinking" vital for the Soviet Union's attempt to end the costly competition of theCold War in order for it to be able to continue the internal economic reforms ofperestroika.[3]
Notable attempts to do this included theIntermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the end of Soviet support for communist movements around the world. Gorbachev also loosened the Soviet Union's grip overEastern Europe by replacing theBrezhnev Doctrine with theSinatra Doctrine.[3]
In 1990, Gorbachev was awarded theNobel Peace Prize "for his leading role in the peace process".[7] The overall effect of these developments was the end of the Cold War, the breakdown of theWarsaw Pact, and ultimately thedissolution of the Soviet Union.[3]
.jpg)