So from Gorbachev's perspective, he was just "pulling out" of Eastern Europe as he would have pulled out of Afghanistan or the United States pulled out of Vietnam.
Not Really. Gorbachev from what I have read anyway amazingly seems to have thought that Eastern Europe states (really we are only talking about four here - but I digress) could be self-supporting without the Soviet Army in waiting despite the opposition for old Brezhnevite hacks like Erich Honecker who warned him of the dangers. Gorbachev never thought that Marxism-Leninism would collapse in Eastern Europe. All this seems to suggest that politburo were quite ignorant about the places they were meant to be ruling over. (Though now I wait for ag to prove me wrong).
