ABSTRACT
Western observers have tended in the past to swing from one extreme to the other in analyzing civil-military relations in the Soviet Union. Writing in 1976, for instance, Zbigniew Brzezinski commented that the military presently had “a more symbiotic relationship with the ruling party” than at any prior point in Soviet history. To be fair, Brzezinski and Kolkowicz anticipated that militarization of the regime would occur specifically under conditions of systemic crisis. The most striking change in military management is the stern new attitude toward personnel selection and management within the military, which places emphasis on accelerated renewal of the ranks and the purging of professionally, morally, and politically derelict officers. Key Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev initiatives such as glasnost’ and the expansion of participation in decisions have also made an impact on the military. Through his investment and incentive policies, Gorbachev proposes overhauling the scientific, technological, and productive base of the Soviet military effort.
