About face; How the Soviets stopped planning for world war

Journal Article · Wed Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1989 · Technology Review; (USA)

OSTI ID:5217977

MccGwire, M ^[1]

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1. Brookings Institution, Washington, DC (USA)

Since 1985, when Mikhail Gorbachev came to power, the Soviet Union has embarked on a series of unprecedented foreign-policy initiatives. Most of them would have been unthinkable five years ago. They include the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the December 1988 announcement of unilateral cuts of 500,000 Soviet troops within two years, and a readiness to accept heavily asymmetrical cuts in Warsaw Pact conventional forces in Europe. Skeptics can no longer dismiss these initiatives as empty propaganda. Nevertheless, according to the author, the response of the Western political-military establishment has been ambivalent. This article addresses the Soviet approach to war, outlining the evolution of Soviet military doctrine since WWII. The recent military cuts by the U.S.S.R. are discussed, and an analysis is made of the West's reaction to the Soviet initiatives.

• OSTI ID: 5217977
• Journal Information: Technology Review; (USA), Journal Name: Technology Review; (USA) Vol. 92:8; ISSN 0040-1692; ISSN TEREA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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350100* -- Arms Control-- Policy
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350101 -- Arms Control-- Policy
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350200 -- Arms Control-- Proliferation-- (1987-)
98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION
ASIA
BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE
EASTERN EUROPE
EUROPE
FOREIGN POLICY
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
MILITARY STRATEGY
NATIONAL DEFENSE
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
POLITICAL ASPECTS
TREATIES
USSR
WEAPONS