Limits to Soviet Power

The purpose of this book is not to assert that there are limits to Soviet power but, through an examination of selected aspects of Soviet foreign & domestic policy, to understand what limits there are & to assess their significance & severity. The authors have assumed that the vast size of the Soviets nuclear arsenal & considerable energy reserves, & that their vigorous & communicative new leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, their record of forceful interventions in Eastern Europe, Afghanistan, & Africa, & other indicators of ability to exert influence & control in world affairs were recognizable to most Americans.