The Soviet Challenge in the 1990s

The Soviet enigma has never seemed more elusive to Western analysts than now. Gorbachev’s demonstrated willingness to reallocate resources, the upheavals in the internal Soviet system wrought by perestroika and glasnost and a new strategic reliance on defensive sufficiency may all have profound implications for US-Soviet relations in the future. In this volume, academics, researchers and government and military strategists look ahead to the 1990s and examine probable trends in the superpower relationship over the course of the next decade. The book focuses particularly on the strategic and military aspects of the relationship. It is divided into four parts and begins by addressing concepts of strategy. The contributors outline US strategic practice and Soviet global objectives in the context of nuclear deterrence and major conventional wars. In Part II, three chapters discuss the US response to the Soviet threat in terms of US strategy for war in Europe, strategic defence policies and technology and policy choices. Low intensity conflicts, both unconventional conflicts and Third World involvements, are the subject of Part III. Finally, the contributors assess Soviet military power and US defence resources, examining the question of which nation is currently better prepared to outlast the other in a protracted conflict. A concluding chapter ties the readings together by examining whether the Soviet challenge of the 1990s can best be characterized as peacefully offensive or as operational entrapment.