Defectors

A nuanced look at deep complications underneath stories of asylum seekers in their journey 'from tyranny to liberty'. * Kirkus * Erik R. Scott's Defectors is a groundbreaking work of Cold War history and a real page-turner. Scott combines excellent storytelling with powerful arguments about migration, sovereignty, borders, and international law. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in Soviet-American relations and their impact on the wider world. * Francine Hirsch, author of Soviet Judgment at Nuremberg: A New History of the International Military Tribunal after World War II * This timely and deeply researched book shows how the historical conception and implementation of 'walls' can help to situate current debates about globalization and population flows. It is a major contribution to our understanding of the human and political dimensions of the first Cold War, showing how the superpowers colluded as well as competed in their efforts to define their borders. * Diane P. Koenker, University College London * Erik Scott deftly incorporates the motives, trajectories, and experiences of Soviet defectors into a subtle analysis of the efforts made by the major state protagonists during the Cold War to manage international migration in the post-World War II era. His carefully researched, illuminating, and intriguing book deserves to be widely read by students of international history. * Peter Gatrell, author of The Unsettling of Europe: How Migration Reshaped a Continent * Zooming in to the case of the Soviet Union, Scott broadens our perspective on the critically important topic of emigration and the efforts to prevent it in the Cold War world. A must-read for anyone who wants to understand more about the haunting effects of defection. * Tara Zahra, author of Against the World: Anti-Globalism and Mass Politics Between the World Wars *