Book excerpt: There can be no doubt that the USSR will play an active role in the Third World, availing itself of opportunities to compete with the West. At the same time, Soviet theory and practice indicate an awareness of the accompanying burdens and hazards: the danger of escalation posed by local wars; the potential dangers and costs of becoming the primary provider and protector of poor, distant states of socialist orientation; the capacity of developing countries to seek Soviet support while resisting influence.