Study says US political step could thwart Soviets

A surprising report from a liberal think tank says swift political reaction by the US may be the most effective way to block the Soviet Union from using military force to back its foreign policy. A detailed study by the Brookings Institution showed Soviet military forces have been used 190 times since World War II in support of Russian diplomacy around the world. The report predicts the Soviet Union will "use their armed forces again to support their foreign policy," making US responses "increasingly difficult."

But the report noted the Soviets have avoided superpower confrontation when the US has intervened "to support a valued friend" when the trouble could be directly traced to Moscow or a Soviet ally.