Rene De La Pedraja, PhD, University of Chicago, has researched and written numerous publications. He is a professor of history at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface

Part I: The Downward Spiral

¿1.¿The Soviet Union: Mounting Tensions

delete delete¿Strategic Encirclement: NATO, China and Japan

delete delete¿The Armed Forces in the Post-Stalin Soviet Union

delete delete¿The Soviet Army and Nationalities

delete delete¿The KGB and the Survival of the Soviet Union

¿2.¿The War in Afghanistan, 1979-1989

delete delete¿The Origins of the Soviet Invastion of Afghanistan

delete delete¿The Main Stages in the War, 1979-1989

delete delete¿The Soviet-Afghan War in World History

¿3.¿The ­Self-Destruction of the Soviet Union

delete delete¿Mikhail Gorbachev and the Economic Collapse

delete delete¿A Foreign Policy for Military Reductions

delete delete¿The Revolt of the Nationalities

delete delete¿The August 1991 Coup Attempt

delete delete¿The Decisive Days of 19-21 August 1991

delete delete¿From the Coup Attempt to Russia

¿4.¿The Birth of the Russian Federation

delete delete¿From Soviet to Russian Armed Forces

delete delete¿A New Structure for the Russian Armed Forces

delete delete¿Parliament Versus the President

delete delete¿The Russian Army in Shambles

¿5.¿Trouble in the "Near Abroad"

delete delete¿War in Transnistria

delete delete¿Ukraine and the Soviet Military

delete delete¿Georgia: War and Turmoil

¿6.¿The First Chechnya War

delete delete¿Chechens in the Soviet Union

delete delete¿Chechnya and the Russian Federation

delete delete¿The Invasion of Chechnya

delete delete¿The Insurgency

¿7.¿Russia in Decline

delete delete¿The Presidential Campaign and the First Chechnya War

delete delete¿The Reorganization of the Military

delete delete¿The Fading Yeltsin Presidency

Part II: Halting the Decline

¿8.¿Saving Russia: The Second Chechnya War

delete delete¿From Failed State to War

delete delete¿The Russian Invasion and the Battle of Grozny

delete delete¿The Insurgency

delete delete¿The Russian Counterinsurgency

delete delete¿The Turning Point: The Rebel Offensive of 2004

delete delete¿The End of the Insurgency

¿9.¿The Revival of Russian Institutions

delete delete¿A String of Successes on the Civilian Front

delete delete¿Progress and Setbacks on the Military Front

10.¿The Turning Point: The Five Day War with Georgia

delete delete¿Growing Disputes

delete delete¿The Path to War

delete delete¿"A Splendid Little War"

delete delete¿The Aftermath

Part III: Reconstruction

11.¿The New Look

delete delete¿Structural Changes for the Military

delete delete¿Crisis in Recruitment

delete delete¿The Revolt of the Officers

12.¿Asia

delete delete¿The Alliance with China

delete delete¿Central Asia: The Great Game of Empire

delete delete¿The Far East: Vostok-2010

13.¿Russia, Ukraine and Crimea

delete delete¿Ukraine: The Making of a Failed State

delete delete¿Confrontation in Crimea

delete delete¿The End of Ukrainian Crimea

14.¿Turmoil and War in Ukraine

delete delete¿The Defense of Crimea

delete delete¿The Revolt of Eastern Ukraine

delete delete¿The Ukrainian Military Offensive

delete delete¿Victory

delete delete¿Stalemate

15.¿The Russian Expedition to Syria

delete delete¿Russia and Syria 2000-2010

delete delete¿The Syrian Civil War

delete delete¿The Russian Intervention

16.¿The Russian Military for the ­Twenty-First Century

delete delete¿Weapons and the Defense Industry

delete delete¿Personnel: Quality and Quantity

Chapter Notes

Annotated Bibliography

Index