Review by Choice Review
This book represents something of an assault on traditional interpretations of the Soviet military and at moments comes close to being an original contribution to the literature. Sapir assesses the issue of the Soviet-US military balance, the nature of the "Soviet threat," the role of technology, and the Soviet military system in its political and industrial manifestations. The author moves easily between specific weaponry and strategic issues and dismisses general explanations of the development and state of the Soviet military system for an interdisciplinary approach--with its attendant hazards of attempting to do too much and forsaking specific interrelationships for the sake of broad coverage. Indeed, at points, neither the data nor the interpretations are all that novel (and some of the latter are overstated). Published in 1987 in Europe and recently updated, the volume, although it utilizes both primary and secondary sources, suffers in a number of places, like so many other analyses in the Soviet field, from being outrun and overrun by events in the USSR. Although it may be impossible to replace Christopher Donnelly's classic The Red Banner: The Soviet Military System in Peace and War (1988), Sapir presents an engaging and inclusive introduction to and summary of the subject. The book should prove useful for upper-division undergraduates but beginners interested in acquiring a more skeptical insight into the background of shifts in Soviet thinking on defense and national security will find much of value here. -R. L. Moses, Carnegie-Mellon University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
