To make the elders here feel really old...My advisor at Scranton was (in 61-62) a Soviet analyst for the CIA.
Old-fashioned Kremlinology was often talked about, in a "for those of you who were too young to notice" fashion, in classes. Basically, as history.
Example which sticks out: The immense effort put into getting...photos of the reviewing stands for the May Day and October Revolution parades. Hats or no hats, the positioning of various people, whether they were sitting or standing, analyzed to seemingly-absurd lengths.
How much of that actually produced insights of value, might I ask my elders?
*whistles the Soviet National Anthem boredly*
(I'm young enough to say that...I miss the Cold War. When things were simple, and you knew your enemy was at least sane (and could even be worked with on occasion!). Yes, this points out my youth.)
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