From the author of Rumsfeld’s Wars, “an important addition to the bookshelf of any analyst of post-Soviet security affairs” (Slavic Review).
Dale Herspring analyzes three key periods of change in civil-military relations in the Soviet Union and postcommunist Russia: the Bolshevik construction of the communist Red Army in the 1920s; the era of perestroika, when Mikhail Gorbachev attempted to implement a more benign military doctrine and force posture; and the Yeltsin era, when a new civilian and military leadership set out to restructure civil-military relations. The book concludes with a timely discussion of the relationship of the military to the current political struggle in Russia.
“The history is both fascinating and timely.” —European Security
“When military reform returns to its deservedly prominent place in the Russian political agenda, Herspring’s book will offer invaluable guidance.” —Mark von Hagen, American military historian
