Imbalance of Power: Shifting U.S.-Soviet Military Strengths; American and Soviet Military Trends Since the Cuban Missile Crisis
Reviewed by Richard G. Head
Two impressive studies of U.S.-Soviet military structures and strategies. The former begins with Collins' major report to the Senate Armed Services Committee but includes section-by-section net assessment appraisals by Cordesman, which are extremely perceptive about Soviet/Warsaw Pact limitations and tend to balance off Collins' pessimism. The second book is Collins' updated and expanded report. His key arguments are that for the United States, military trends are adverse, deterrence is being eroded, and freedom of action is being curtailed. Regardless of one's personal view of the current state of U.S.-Soviet relations, these two books provide a wealth of information, a compendium of systematic analysis, and a series of structured arguments that illuminate the debate.
