Originally composed for students of the Russian Institute of Columbia University, this text offers the interested reader a wide and erudite sampling of opinions and approaches from which to reach an independent conclusion. David Dallin, author of The New Soviet Empire. The Rise of Russia in Asia, Soviet Espionage and other works on Communism, has restricted his anthology to non-Soviet commentaries, but other than that this volume represents a catholicity both of method and conclusion: Daniel Bell discusses Soviet policy in terms of the Soviet personality type, viewing Russia from the viewpoint of social science techniques; a symposium discusses the relative importance of power politics versus ideology in the determining of Soviet foreign policy; Richard Lowenthal weighs the relative power of personal interest versus ideology; Leites assesses the Politburo: ""Historicus"", Stalin's action vis-a-vis his revolutionary theory; Mosley, Soviet Techniques of Negotiation. These are mere samples of the articles, retrospective and speculative, all of which participate to a high degree in factual background and a serious concern with Russia and its role in the twentieth Century. Alexander Dallin's book assumes a high degree of interest and a reasonable conversance with modern history. Armed with these, the reader will find this a rich and stimulating collection.