Points of Mutual Advantage: Perestroika and American Foreign Policy *

Since the end of World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union have been engaged in constant struggle; a contest of superpower strength, but also a contest of values and vision. No relationship has been more difficult, or ultimately, more promising. Difficult because traditional Soviet ideology has used the same words as we do—democracy, human rights, freedom, peace, and justice—while in practice denying the values behind them. Promising because in the nuclear age, the imperative of avoiding disaster has compelled us both to search for common interests.