One size does not fit all: rollback orthodoxy and Anglo-American covert action in Albania and Ukraine in the early Cold War

Stephen Long*, Francesco Cacciatore

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Orthodox scholarship claims the CIA-MI6 covert actions in Albania and Ukraine in the early Cold War exemplified a singular effort to rollback Soviet power in Europe. Using recently declassified files, this article presents a case study of Operation BGFiend/Valuable and Aerodynamic to challenge the existence of an aggressive rollback programme. These were limited, diverse and strategically dynamic projects that did not seek regime change in either territory. The west subverted Hoxha’s Albanian regime, focusing on intelligence collection and propaganda. In Ukraine, emphasis was on gathering intelligence, particularly to provide early warning of an anticipated Soviet invasion of Western Europe.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)599-619
Number of pages21
JournalIntelligence and National Security
Volume39
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023

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