...This introductory chapter provides an overview of the concept of reputation for resolve. A state’s reputation for resolve is the belief that during crises, the state’s leaders will take actions that demonstrate willingness to pay high costs and run high risks, and will thus stand firm in crises...

...This concluding chapter looks at the legacy of the contest of 1989 and 1990. The legacy of 1989–90 shows the power of chance and contingency. At many points, all state leaders, superpower and otherwise, were simply reacting to change. They had to propose models of order for the future precisely...