I. Introduction 1
1. CONTAINMENT: INDISPENSABLE YET UNSATISFACTORY 3
II. Background 9
2. DILEMMAS OF AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY 11
Keeping Score 12
The Dilemma of Motives 15
The Dilemma of Defensiveness 17
The Dilemma of Deterrence 21
3. THE SOVIET SYSTEM 25
Structure 29
Privileges 30
Control 32
4. REINSPECTING CONTAINMENT 39
Kennan's Vision 40
The Idea of "Balance" 42
Détente as Therapy 44
The Original Debate 47
The Hope of Soviet "Collapse" 52
Stark Alternatives 57
III. Policy Alternatives 61
5. CONTAINMENT AND THE SEARCH FOR ALTERNATIVES: A CRITIQUE 63
The Reagan Record 64
Disparity Between Words and Actions 66
Reagan vs. Carter 67
The Defense Program 69
Alternatives to Containment 70
Desire for Decisive Outcome 83
Exaggeration of Dilemmas 86
Implications of Recent Events 89
6. ON HEDGING BETS: SELECTIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SOVIET UNION 93
Toward a Strategy of Selective Engagement 94
A History of Changing Moods 96
Strategies for Dealing with the Soviet Union 99
What Do the Soviets Want? 103
Does Our Ignorance of Soviet Motives Matter? 110
Why the United States Can No Longer Dominate 114
Aspects of Selective Engagement 117
7. CONTAINMENT PLUS PLURALIZATION 125
The Theory: Change Abroad to Prevent Change at Home 126
The Practice: Pluralizing the Soviet Union 131
Counterarguments 139
8. EXTENDED CONTAINMENT 147
Mirror-Imaging vs. Power-Maximizing 149
Reversing Expansion of the Soviet Empire 153
Extending Containment 156
Extending Containment in the Economic Realm 161
Pluralism and Extended Containment 167
9. DYNAMIC CONTAINMENT 169
The Soviet Problem 170
Soviet Prospects and Dangers 174
Fundamentals of Soviet Foreign Policy 175
The Nature of the Threat 179
Dynamic Containment 181
The War of Ideas 184
Communism and the War of Ideas 187
Political Action 191
Strategic Nuclear Forces 191
A Different Direction for Arms Control 197
10. FOREIGN POLICY FOR AN IMPULSIVE PEOPLE 201
Limiting the Danger of War 202
Human Rights 209
The Opposition to Containment 211
Toward a Policy of Rhetorical Simplicity 216
Improving Persuasion: An Illustration 219
Objections to a Policy of Rhetorical Simplicity 221
"Speaking Out" vs. Rhetorical Simplicity 224
The President's Role 226
IV. Conclusion 229
11. FROM MINIMAL TO MAXIMAL CONTAINMENT 231
NOTES 241
CONTRIBUTORS 253
INDEX 255