Kremlinology

Hi, I‘m reading a piece of news about elections in China and America, and would you help me with this?

Here's the linkhttp://www.economist.com/blogs/anale...erica-watching

In another story that attracted a lot of attention from would-be practitioners of American , some of the “biggest boosters” and “closest allies” of the Republican vice-presidential candidate, Paul Ryan, saw fit to reveal (anonymously) the “private proposals they were preparing for him” in the event his ticket loses.

The paragraph I cite is the last but three paragraph.

What does mean? I've looked it up in my dictionary. It says means studies about Russia, but I can't see any relation from it with the specific context. Is it about any background information about American politics that I am not aware of?

Thanks a lot!!👁 Smile :)

During the Cold War, it was difficult for those in the West to find out what was going on in the government of the USSR. Kremlinology was the practice of trying to figure out changes from indirect indications, such as the positions in which people stood on the reviewing stand for May 1 parades.

By extension, the term "Kremlinology" has come to mean any attempt to understand what is going on inside a political organization from indirect external signs. The organization can be anywhere, not just in Russia.

Egmont said:

During the Cold War, it was difficult for those in the West to find out what was going on in the government of the USSR. Kremlinology was the practice of trying to figure out changes from indirect indications, such as the positions in which people stood on the reviewing stand for May 1 parades.

By extension, the term "Kremlinology" has come to mean any attempt to understand what is going on inside a political organization from indirect external signs. The organization can be anywhere, not just in Russia.

Thank you so much for your fantastic answer, Egmont. It really helps me a lot !