WI: Gorbachev Died Before He Ever Led

Looks like I got it to the right forum this time...:p

It's hard to argue that he was the man who began to deconstruct the USSR. What if he had been killed/died before he ever came into power? What if a strong Anti-American war-hawk had come into power instead? Would we (the U.S.) have finally decided it was time for military action if the Russians (quite weakened by this time due to embargo, over-extension, and long military campaigns in the Mid-East) began to threaten us with actual action? I'm kind of relying on this for one of my ideas, so...opinions?
 
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