The Quest for Power

The quest for power is a recurring theme throughout the story but never so much so as at the very beginning and ending. In both cases, it's the Russians who crave power. As the story opens, the Russians are dealing with the loss of an oil refinery, a major source of the country's energy. With that loss, the country immediately begins trying to determine how to cover up the situation. For the Russians, this is vital because to do otherwise would mean that other world powers would know the Russians are in an undesirable position. The Russians are so anxious that they not lose their standing as a world power that they are willing to go to war rather than reveal their situation.

As the conflict nears an end, it becomes evident that the Russians are not going to win the war. The use of...