Panelists also provided new insights into the beginning and end of the Cold War.
"The Cold War was imbued in the whole communist system," Pipes said, arguing that it began not after World War II, but in 1917 after the success of the Russian Revolution.
Adomeit said the end of the Cold War occurred as the Soviets slowly realized that "the paradigm on which they were basing policy neither explained nor predicted anything."
Student reactions to the forum were mixed.
"I enjoyed the forum," said Erik A. Beach '02. "It brought about new ideas that I wasn't aware of."
Yet, Beach also said the forum "seemed relatively one-sided and biased towards traditional American viewpoints [which place that brunt of the blame on the Soviets]."
The forum was held in conjunction with a 24-part documentary series on the Cold War which began airing on CNN Sunday night and will continue airing weekly until its completion. Additional information on the series can be found at www.cnn.com/coldwar.