The Middle East: Prospects for Soviet-American Cooperation in the Post-Cold War Era

Abstract

The Gulf conflict has been an occasion for much discussion on the possibility of Soviet-American cooperation in the

Middle East. Several developments have made this a real- istic possibility, in particular Gorbachev's diplomatic ap- proach to the region. Two issues, terrorism and Soviet- Jewish emigration, afford opportunities for cooperation in

the near term, despite several obstacles. With regard to missile proliferation and the Arab-Israeli conflict, however,

collaboration will most likely be postponed by the evolv- ing situation in Iraq and the obstructive policies of other

regional players. Still, one can imagine possible forms of collaboration on these issues as well.