Description: In Irresolute Princes, Fred Wehling challenges conventional explanations for Soviet behavior during the Arab-Israeli conflict. Rather than following a predetermined script, Soviet actions in fact reflected the unwillingness or inability of Soviet leaders to reconcile regional goals with broader global objectives. Adopting a novel approach, Wehling builds on studies in cognitive psychology and management science which found that while decision makers sometimes find means of resolving conflict between goals or values, they often attempt to cope by denying its existence, or by blaming others for perceived contradictions. In so doing Wehling reveals that Soviet attempts to avoid the contradictions between regional interests and global goals contributed to the escalation of conflicts and almost provoked a major US-Soviet confrontation. Irresolute Princes is an innovative analysis which sheds light on the history of Soviet actions and offers insights into the present and future of Russian decision making.

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