Conclusions

On 6 December 1988 the Soviet head of state, Mikhail Gorbachev, spoke before the United Nations and confirmed the new state of affairs affecting the socialist world. He stressed that the nature of the international economy had changed, and that nations could no longer be isolated from the economically powerful nations that have had decisive control over the direction of world development. Gorbachev’s speech was remarkable in that it brought to light and confirmed what Western leaders suspected; Soviet intervention in the Third World, particularly in Afghanistan, was too costly, its financial support of Cuba was also having an effect on the economy.

In addition, the arms build-up had also been a factor in depleting the nation’s energies and resources. As a result of these conditions, the Soviet leader called for a new era of co-operation with the Western industrialized nations. Although parts of Gorbachev’s speech dealt with the problem of the Third-World debt, the Soviet leader failed to specify how its relations with the Third World would be changed.

In addition, what was to be known of the related meeting between the Soviet Premier and the President of Cuba remained unknown because of Gorbachev’s unexpected return to the USSR.