ABSTRACT

The failure of the reactionary coup in Moscow in August 1991 launched political shock waves in Russia that will bring radical changes in global politics. The disastrous Russian economy will limit Moscow's influence throughout the Third World and increase dependence on Western economic and technical assistance. Reexamination of Soviet policy began with Mikhail Gorbachev's accession and the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan. From the outset, Gorbachev had expressed his intention to change policy, particularly in the Third World. The reason for this change is in the main economic: Moscow can no longer afford to pay the bill. The declining power and status of the military has intensifed ethnic and political dissent, the deterioration of living conditions, and separatism. Gorbachev demonstrated that he was aware of the difficult resource constraints that faced the USSR and that he was capable of adjusting his commitments in the Third World in order to limit activities abroad.