Mikhail Gorbachev's rise to power in 1985 signalled the beginning of significant improvements in Soviet-Israeli relations--thoroughly examined in this carefully researched volume. Based on an analysis of Soviet behavior and interviews with Israeli and Soviet Foreign Ministry officials and PLO leaders, this study describes how eased tensions between the Soviet Union and Israel have been achieved and analyzes the Soviet Union's reasons for advancing diplomatic relations with Israel. Robert Owen Freedman follows the progress of Soviet policy from the 1985 meeting between the Soviet and Israeli ambassadors to France, to the 1987 arrival of the Soviet consular delegation in Israel, which heralded rapid improvement on the diplomatic front, to the 1989 trade agreements, cultural, academic, and athletic exchanges, and the 1990 political meetings between high ranking officials. Freedman identifies three primary goals that motivated these Soviet initiatives towards Israel: a desire to improve relations with the United States; a desire to play a major role in Middle East diplomacy; and a desire for trade with Israel. Both meticulously documented and forward-looking, the conclusions reached can stimulate discussion and provide a basis for further study for members of the academic, political, and diplomatic communities.

A comprehensive study of Soviet policies in the Middle East.

For more than three decades, the Soviet Union was a major force in the Middle East, and superpower rivalry exacerbated many of the conflicts endemic to the region. The end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union have fundamentally altered the rules of the game in Middle East politics, producing a new fluidity in the region, new diplomatic alignments, and new opportunities for peace. The contributors place recent developments in historical and political context, analyzing changes in Soviet Middle East policy under Gorbachev as well as evaluating developments since the demise of the Soviet Union. The evolution of Moscow's policy toward the Arab states, Israel, the P.L.O., and the U.N. is given special attention. The contributors also examine the emergence of Islamic fundamentalism in the new states of Central Asia and weigh the potential implications of this development for the Middle East. In addition, they discuss security issues related to the transfer of military technology from former Soviet republics to the countries of the Middle East.

This study examines the changes in Soviet foreign policy that Mikhail Gorbachev has introduced as "new thinking." In particular, it considers the application of new thinking to the Middle East, distinguishing between continuity and change, and, particularly, the tactical as distinct from the essential nature of this change. The analysis focuses on the Arab-Israeli conflict, the role of the Palestinians, and Soviet-Syrian relations. It also discusses the evolution of the Soviet position on the Iran-Iraq war and the Soviet Union's relations with the Persian Gulf states. The author concludes that the Soviets have not entirely abandoned their interests in the Middle East, but have adopted a more flexible stance that fits in with the new thinking.

This volume assesses contemporary Soviet domestic and foreign policy and surveys the traditions, challenges, and contexts within which the Soviet leadership was operating. General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev is generating ferment at home and anticipation abroad about the prospects for change in Soviet policy. Western analysts can provide only an in