(Posted by John.)
Kremlinology: During the Cold War, lack of reliable information about the country forced Western analysts to "read between the lines" and to use the tiniest tidbits, such as the removal of portraits, the rearranging of chairs, positions at the reviewing stand for May Day parades, and other indirect signs to try to understand what was happening in internal Soviet politics.
It seems to me we need an update. I've recently begun listening to the excellent radio show, Radio Open Source from Public Radio International. One of the more recent ones on Iran was bizarre, in that all the participants acknowledged the biggest problem with US diplomacy is that nobody knows who's in charge.
