Soviet Crisis Decision-Making and the Gorbachev Reforms

Jeffrey Legro

ResearchPublished 1989

This paper examines the impact of military institutions and procedures on Soviet crisis decisionmaking. In light of Mikhail Gorbachev's domestic reforms, it assesses traditional Soviet political-military crisis dilemmas between prevention of and preparation for war. The declared shift in Soviet strategy and force posture from offense to defense, and the erosion of the military's implicit role in decisionmaking, should ameliorate institutional biases which threaten stability in an East-West clash.

Order a Print Copy

Format
Paperback
Page count
20 pages
List Price
$20.00
Buy link
Add to Cart

Document Details

  • Availability: Available
  • Year: 1989
  • Print Format: Paperback
  • Paperback Pages: 20
  • Paperback Price: $20.00
  • Document Number: OPS-014

Citation

RAND Style Manual
Legro, Jeffrey, Soviet Crisis Decision-Making and the Gorbachev Reforms, RAND Corporation, OPS-014, 1989. As of September 5, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/occasional_papers-soviet/OPS014.html
Chicago Manual of Style
Legro, Jeffrey, Soviet Crisis Decision-Making and the Gorbachev Reforms. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1989. https://www.rand.org/pubs/occasional_papers-soviet/OPS014.html. Also available in print form.
BibTeX RIS

This publication is part of the RAND occasional paper (Soviet) series. The occasional paper (Soviet) series was a product of RAND from 1985 to 1992 that was issued jointly by the RAND/UCLA Center for Soviet Studies to facilitate the exchange of ideas among those who shared the research interests of the center and of scholars participating in its research and seminar programs.

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.