ABSTRACT
Mikhail Gorbachev pursued political "détente" with the US and acknowledged the centrality of the Soviet-American relationship in overall Soviet foreign policy. The new Soviet image will facilitate the search for trading partners, which is definitely part of the Gorbachev agenda. Gorbachev pursued political "détente" with the United States and acknowledged the centrality of the Soviet-American relationship in overall Soviet foreign policy. Unlike his predecessors, Brezhnev, Andropov, and Chernenko, who failed to prevent the deployment of intermediate range missiles in Europe, Gorbachev proceeded with arms negotiations and in the end accepted Ronald Reagan's "zero option." Mikhail Gorbachev has initiated a dialogue with Israel with the goal of reestablishing the diplomatic relations broken in June 1967. There are many obstacles along the way, including the question of Soviet Jewish emigration, the convening of an international conference on the Middle East, and the acceptance by the USSR's Arab clients of these overtures.
