Soviet Crisis Decision-Making and the Gorbachev Reforms
Expert InsightsPublished 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.
Document Details
- Copyright: RAND Corporation
- Availability: Web Only
- Year: 1989
- Pages: 20
- Document Number: OPS-14
Citation
RAND Style Manual
Legro, Jeffrey, Soviet Crisis Decision-Making and the Gorbachev Reforms, RAND Corporation, OPS-14, 1989. As of September 10, 2026: https://www.rand.org/pubs/occasional_papers-soviet/OPS14.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/OPS14.html.
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.
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