Appendix (p. 69-744) contains numerous studies and reports on the Soviet economy.

One of a series of handbooks prepared by Foreign Area Studies (FAS) of the American University.

Soviet Risk-Taking and Crisis Behavior, first published in 1982, examines the question: for what purposes and under what conditions were Soviet leaders prepared to take risks in international relations? The first part of the book sets out to define the concept of risk and to examine its analytical relevance for foreign policy, its measurement and its relation to the dynamics of crisis. The second part consists of in-depth analysis of Soviet behavior in the Berlin crises of 1948 and 1961. The third and last part compares Soviet policy in the two crises, and the actions of the two different leaderships, as well as relating it to Soviet behavior in other geographical areas.

Now updated to the Gorbachev era, this book is an examination of the state of the Soviet Union today. One of its main aims is to highlight the weaknesses of this faltering empire.