Checklist for the Moscow Summit Briefing

Publication Date: May 1988

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

Author(s): Leon Aron

Research Area: Government

Keywords: Russia and Eurasia

Type: Report

Coverage: Soviet Union

Abstract:

Reagan should use the summit for structuring U.S.-Soviet relations in ways conducive to the avowed goals of Gorbachev’s reform: a measure of official tolerance for diversity, for political relaxation and economic decentralization. Reagan should make it clear that the U.S. will not bail out the Soviet economy, which would allow the Kremlin to avoid the painful choice between genuine political and economic reform and continuing stagnation. If the U.S. delegation is well-briefed, realistic, and prepared for tough bargaining, the Moscow summit can be a small step toward a more stable, freer, and more prosperous world.