ABSTRACT
The increasing popularity of the concepts of globalism and the liberal commercial regime and the emphasis on development investment over defense allocations provides a favorable climate for increased efficiency and competitiveness, commerce and growth. The application of the New Thinking to regional issues has led to the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan, a cease-fire in the Persian Gulf, and new withdrawal negotiations in South Africa and Southeast Asia. The Soviet reformers must find the proper balance; they must prove the validity of reform to the average Soviet citizen by showing positive results without losing the military bureaucracy to reactionary forces. Soviet commercial relations with its Asian neighbors—the People's Republic of China, Japan, South Korea, and others—have been modest to date. Japan and the Newly Industrializing Countries of Asia might be especially helpful in encouraging the integration of the People's Republic of China and Soviet Siberian regions into the rules-based multilateral economic system.
