'Dr Lynch's book is an insightful and incisive examination of Soviet theories and concepts of international politics and foreign policy. Not only does he provide a concise exposition of the orthodox Marxist, Leninist and Stalinist foundations of Soviet thinking on international affairs, but he also examines the important departures from that orthodoxy under Khrushchev and Brezhnev. More important, however, he focuses on the intellectual ferment which characterized the infrastructure of the Soviet foreign policy establishment during the past twenty years … His elegantly written words and powerful expository style enable us to understand better both Soviet thinking and Soviet behaviour in international affairs.' Vernon Aspaturian, Chair of the Shulman Prize Committee, 1987