"What will the West think?" That timeless refrain, heard so often throughout Russian history, was voiced by a puzzled Soviet official last week as he pondered the remarkable political comeback of Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko. The official's words were tinged with irony and embarrassment over what he considered to be the advanced age and limited qualifications of the man who had been selected by the Communist Party Central Committee to succeed Yuri Andropov. But they also betrayed a deep sense of uncertainty, even misgiving, that was...
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