The Russian View of U.S. Strategy: Its Past, Its Future

By Jonathan Samuel Lockwood

Book Overview

Soviet perceptions of U.S. strategy remained remarkably consistent from the post-Stalin period through the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union itself. The consistency of the Soviet tendency to engage in the 'mirror-image' fallacy in their analyses of U.S. doctrine and strategic intentions has profound implications for the future relationship of the U.S. and the now-independent republics. This authoritative volume analyzes the Soviet/Russian perspectives of U.S. strategic evolution from the declaration of the 'massive retaliation' doctrine of 1954 through the Soviet collapse of 1991.The Soviets considered the growth of their strategic nuclear arsenal as the main factor giving them political leverage over U.S. foreign policy and predicted that a defense policy based on strategic defense would be the most effective deterrent from a Soviet perspective. Now the Russian military and political leadership places a high value on strategic nuclear forces in terms of political leverage and prestige.Building upon a wide variety of international sources, the Lockwoods offer a penetrating assessment of how the present Russian perspective will affect political relationships, not only with the U.S. and the West, but also among the independent republics. This factor will become ever more critical as they vie for decentralized versus unified control of what was the Soviet nuclear arsenal under the shadow of the collapsing economies. The authors also introduce a new theory concerning the future impact of ballistic missile defense on operational warfare in light of the U.S. experience in Operation Desert Storm. The Russian View of U.S. Strategy provides a comprehensive historical context and an up-to-date appraisal of an uncertain and potentially volatile development in U.S.-Russian relations. It will be of interest to historians, policymakers, and military analysts.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0765806363
• ISBN13: 9780765806369
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 244 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Russians are still relevant in today's post-Sept 11 environment

Recent events in the world, namely the ballistic missile defense interceptors being placed in Poland and the Russian response, have restated a vital need for understanding the Russian threat. Dr. Lockwood's treatise on Russian Military strategy fills a vital niche in today's post-Cold War environment. The drain on U.S. military resources and public opinion waning with the ongoing Global War on Terror has given the Russian Federation ample opportunity to increase their standing in global politics. This book was written for policymakers and students of intelligence and political science in mind; that being said, any American with an interest in national security should read this text. Anti-Ballistic Missile defense is still a hot topic within the American political system, while the Russians have had a "working" ABM system since the 1960s, and continue to update their system against American ICBMs. If you're curious to the foundation of the politics that President-elect Obama must face concerning ABM, Russia, Poland and the U.S., read Dr. Lockwood's book. The Russian Bear is not going away any time soon...