ABSTRACT
In March 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev was appointed General Secretary. That there were three leadership transitions in two-and-one-half years meant that Soviet foreign policy drifted. With few exceptions, the outlines of Soviet-Third World relations remained unchanged. The same held true for the Iran-Iraq War. Gorbachev’s campaign for change touched the foreign policy realm as well. Gorbachev’s campaign for change touched the foreign policy realm as well. Personnel changes included the replacement of Andrei Gro-myko, the long-time foreign minister, with Georgian Eduard Shevardnadze. Personnel changes included the replacement of Andrei Gro-myko, the long-time foreign minister, with Georgian Eduard Shevardnadze. Although Gromyko was an early Gorbachev supporter—he offered the nominating speech at the Politburo meeting at which Gorbachev was named—his elevation to the ceremonial post of president allowed Gorbachev much greater flexibility in foreign policy. Unlike his major predecessor Leonid Brezhnev, Gorbachev felt that the Third World was a relatively low priority.
