Limits to Soviet Power

by Rajan Menon, Daniel N. Nelson (Editor)

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.

230 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Rajan Menon holds the Anne and Bernard Spitzer Chair in Political Science at the City College of New York/City University of New York and is a Senior Research Scholar at the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies, Columbia University and a Global Ethics Fellow at the Carnegie Council on Ethics in International Affairs.

Previously he was the Monroe J. Rathbone Professor and Chairman in the Department of International Relations at Lehigh University. He has been a Fellow at the New America Foundation in Washington, DC, an Academic Fellow and Senior Adviser at the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and Director for Eurasia Policy Studies at the Seattle-based National Bureau for Asian Research (NBR). He has taught at Columbia University and Vanderbilt University and served as Special Assistant for Arms Control and National Security to Congressman Stephen J. Solarz (D-NY), while an International Affairs Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, of which he is a member. His current work concerns American foreign and national security policy, international security, globalization, and the international relations of Asia and Russia and the other post-Soviet states.
Menon was awarded the Ellen Gregg Ingalls Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching (at Vanderbilt University) and the Eleanor and Joseph F. Libsch Award for Distinguished Research and the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching (at Lehigh University). He was selected as a Carnegie Scholar (2002-2003) and has also received fellowships and grants from the Woodrow Wilson Center, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Rockefeller Foundation, the John D and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Smith Richardson Foundation, and the US Institute of Peace. Menon has written more than 50 opinion pieces and essays for the Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, Financial Times, International Herald Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Newsday, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, and Washingtonpost.com. He has appeared as a commentator on National Public Radio, ABC, CNN, BBC, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and World Focus (PBS).

(from https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/profiles/ra...)

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Limits to Soviet Power, edited by Rajan Menon and Daniel Nelson, is a fascinating book to read today. This book published as the Soviet Union was collapsing on itself assess the areas where Soviet Power was limited. It carefully looks at the various ways the Soviet Union accrued power both domestically and internationally and how this power was limited. The economic burden of supplying client states is one of the most pressing constrains on the Soviet Union and as its means of production were developed to supply arms the civilian population suffered. Technological limits were also a major factor and played a role in the leaderships options on domestic policies limiting Soviet choices. Externally the Warsaw Pact was a major drain on Soviet resources and a constant flashpoint that had to be maintained. The lack of a blue water navy and a true long range air force made projection of power beyond the mainland difficult. Soviet aircraft carriers were not equivalent to those of the United States and this limited Soviet Power. Overall it is very well done and what you expect from two great scholars like Menon and Nelson. If you want an interesting look at why Soviet power failed this classic study is a great place to start.