The Dangers of Overselling the Mini-Summit

Publication Date: October 1986

Publisher: Heritage Foundation (Washington, D.C.)

Author(s): Mikhail Tsypkin; W. Bruce Weinrod

Research Area: Government

Keywords: Russia and Eurasia

Type: Report

Coverage: Soviet Union

Abstract:

This weekend's meeting in Reykjavik, Iceland, between Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev has raised high public hopes for improvements in U.S.-Soviet relations. These expectations, however, should be placed in the context of current realities. After a year in power, Gorbachev has yet to significantly alter any of Moscow's policies at home or abroad; rather, he has shown himself adept at packaging Soviet policies in ways that appear more progressive but yield nothing of substance.