ABSTRACT
The first part of this chapter highlights some of the major insights of the "psychological" school of decision making theory. The second part provides an overview of the party and government organizations involved in nuclear arms control matters, describes the major features of how these groups interacted during the Brezhnev period, and then goes on to describe the unique aspects of organizational and bureaucratic-political activity under the Gorbachev leadership. Notwithstanding the highly individualistic nature of these factors, there are some among them that might serve as common denominators for understanding Soviet nuclear arms control decision making. In particular, the Politburo exhibits two organizational characteristics that are noteworthy in the context of nuclear arms control decision making. Three bodies in particular are important to the nuclear arms control decision making process: the Defense Council, the Ministry of Defense and its Collegium, and the General Staff.
