Need Progressive Critique of Reagan/End of Cold War

[RedSock]

My wife knows I get tons of links and news from DU, so she writes:

"let me know if you see any progressive critique/refute of reagan & the end of the cold war, collapse of the ussr. a supposedly liberal person who did not vote for RWR and generally disliked him gives him much credit for that. i know it's b/s but i don't know enough facts to back it up. ... if you see something, let me know."

Anyone have good links?

[swinney]

1. Gorby ended cold war

Perestroika and Glasnos

[ThomWV]

2. Look At Clark's Article

Wesley Clark wrote an article published in a magazine last month (can't remember which, but Washington Monthly sounds right, about just that subject. Read it, all the amunition you will ever need.

[nuxvomica]

3. Reagan delayed the end of the Cold War

Reagan's rhetoric convinced the hardliners in the Kremlin that they faced a hostile enemy, delaying Gorbachev's much needed economic reforms after the long-suffering Soviet economy was finally broken by the Carter grain embargo (to which I give more credit than others do) and the invasion of Afghanistan.

From article on the subject:
Reagan's commitment to SDI made it more difficult for Gorbachev to persuade his officials that arms control was in the Soviet interest. Conservatives, some of the military leadership, and spokesmen for defense-related industries insisted that SDI was proof of America's hostile intentions. In a contentious politburo meeting called to discuss arms control, Soviet armed forces chief of staff Marshal Sergei Akhromeyev angrily warned that the Soviet people would not tolerate any weakening of Soviet defenses, according to Oleg Grinevsky, now Russia's ambassador to Sweden. Yakovlev insists that "Star Wars was exploited by hardliners to complicate Gorbachev's attempt to end the Cold War."

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/foreign/reagrus.htm

[RedSock]

4. THANKS

Here is the Wesley Clark URL (latest issue):
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2004/0405.clark.html

Printed them both.