02828cam a2200421 i 4500001001900000003000500019008004100024010001300065020001500078027001900093035002000112037001100132040001900143043002100162050002500183100003400208245008800242264003700330300002600367336002600393337002600419337002800445338003600473338002700509500001800536500008200554504004100636520125400677530005801931588004701989651005202036651005302088651005202141710006002193710002202253710007202275856005902347rnd000000000047200RAND920212s1982    cau      b    000 0 eng d  a81020983  a0833003682  aRAND/R-2843-NA  a(Sirsi) a188219  c$25.00  aCstmoRcCstmoR  an-us---ae-ur--- 4aE183.8.S65bV36 19821 aOudenaren, John van.eauthor.10aU.S. leadership perceptions of the Soviet problem since 1945 /cJohn Van Oudenaren. 1aSanta Monica, CA :bRAND,c1982.  axi, 71 pages ;c23 cm  atextbtxt2rdacontent  acomputerbc2rdamedia  aunmediatedbn2rdamedia  aonline resourcebcr2rdacarrier  avolumebnc2rdacarrier  a"March 1982."  aThis research was conducted under RAND's National Security Research Division.  aIncludes bibliographical references.  aFor 35 years the Soviet Union has presented American political leaders with their most difficult foreign policy and defense problems. Throughout this period the Soviet Union, like other countries, has undergone constant change.  Although this change has worked to reshape the perceptions of American leaders, it has not ended an ongoing debate in the United States about the "essential character" of the Soviet system and appropriate U.S.  policies for dealing with the USSR.  There remains no consensus on a long-term American strategy for dealing with the Soviet Union.  In an effort to probe the roots of the ongoing dissension in the U.S.  foreign policy community regarding Soviet policy, this report analyzes the three early postwar alternatives--termination by accommodation, termination by victory, and long-term management--and shows how the early debates on these alternatives influenced subsequent American policy thinking.  In addition, the report suggests some of the underlying reasons why a termination approach appealed to those who were confronted for the first time with the Soviet problem, and why, despite the standoff of the past 35 years, termination continues to exert a residual appeal for both elites and the general public.  aAlso available on the internet via WWW in PDF format.  aDescription based on print version record. 0aSoviet UnionxForeign relationszUnited States. 0aUnited StatesxForeign relations administration. 0aUnited StatesxForeign relationszSoviet Union.2 aRand Corporation.bNational Security Research Division.2 aRand Corporation.1 aUnited States.bDepartment of Defense.bDirector of Net Assessment.41yOnline Accessuhttp://www.rand.org/pubs/reports/R2843/