Word: regional
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...Administration's lack of momentum is already causing it to fall behind events in several regions. Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze's trip to the Middle East last week was part of a skillful diplomatic campaign aimed at giving Moscow a major voice in the region. In Panama, General Fred Woerner, commander of the U.S. Southern Command, issued an uncharacteristically public complaint that Washington has no real policy toward that country. In Asia, the focus of Bush's efforts last week, China and Viet Nam are negotiating a settlement in Kampuchea with almost no input from Washington. In Western Europe...
Housed in a cramped Manhattan loft and operating with more conviction than cash (the budget is $10,000 a week -- minuscule compared with the money available to most network shows), South Africa Now presents a lively look at a tumultuous region. Twelve full- and part-time staffers and a host of volunteers put together programs of spot news, background reports and cultural features. The result is a show that is spunky and creative, though uneven in quality. Interviews sometimes drag on, and occasionally the picture and sound quality are poor...
What fresh ideas was the new thinking Soviet Foreign Minister promoting? Not many. Shevardnadze's peace proposal was largely procedural, reiterating an idea that has been floating around the region for several years and is widely endorsed by most of the relevant parties, except Israel. But as a public relations ploy, the trip was effective. Shevardnadze amply demonstrated Moscow's intention to break Washington's monopoly as the peace broker in the Middle East. With his shrewd charm and flair for appearing to generate goodwill, Shevardnadze sent a new breeze through the Middle East -- a breeze that George Bush promised...
...Somewhat testily, Bush also applied the brakes: "I don't want to be stampeded by the fact that the Soviet Foreign Minister takes a trip to the Middle East." Though he praised Shevardnadze's trip as a "good thing," the President reiterated that the Soviet role in the region "should be limited." Shevardnadze had a canny response: "This is very sad because it injects an element of rivalry that is unnecessary." Then, with a smile, he added, "This is my first critical remark about the President of the United States...
Ultimately, Moscow was probably the big winner from the trip. If Shevardnadze's journey actually did little to nudge the mired peace process, it helped the Soviets gain a larger role in the region. Even the Israelis seemed to accept their presence, despite long-standing fears that a higher Soviet profile could bring unwanted pressures to bear. Said Galia Golan, a professor at Hebrew University: "Israel is treating the Soviet Union as virtually a factor equal to the United States...