U.S.-U.S.S.R. Relations: From Containment of a Superpower Adversary to Sustainment of an Emerging Ally.

摘要

In 1985, newly-elected Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev launched his economic reform program (perestroika) amid bold promises of renewal and economic revitalization. From the beginning, Gorbachev realized that a market-based economy was needed to replace and energize the declining Soviet command economy. This initiative, together with promises for political and human rights reform, signaled the possible conception of an unexpected democratic state. However, while the West continues to celebrate the end of the Cold War, Gorbachev is struggling not only to preserve the essence of the Soviet system -- strong centralized rule -- but also to maintain the Union of Republics. Soviet Government attempts at economic reform have been an unqualified disaster and have plunged the economy into further decline. Moreover, this crisis has been further complicated by the military's and KGB's heavy-handed response to various republics' call for sovereignty, which has created a potential for civil war and discouraged economic aid from the West. The prospect for meaningful Soviet economic reform -- an embryonic move toward democracy -- and the financial and security benefits that could accompany it from the United States are in serious doubt. The U.S. Government should take the lead in providing the necessary economic and technical assistance the USSR needs to help rescue this dwindling Third World economy and sustain an emerging ally.