Realism Wins

conflict and establish friendly ties. To reach this decision, they had to admit their past mistakes. They agreed to drop their demands against each other. They chose to accept what had once seemed unacceptable—so they could build a better future. This is what is called realism. Without such realism, success in today’s world is not possible. The United States, Russia, and China are among the most powerful nations in the world today. When even these major powers can only survive through realism and reconciliation, how can weaker nations expect to thrive by pursuing a policy of confrontation? In such situations, the path of realism and reconciliation becomes even more essential for weaker nations than for the powerful ones. The report is reproduced below. New Spirit of Cooperation UNITED NATIONS, December 6, 1988. NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV, the last Soviet communist party leader to address the general assembly, pounded a shoe on his desk and assured Americans that “we will bury you.” Mr Mikhail Gorbachev’s arrival 28 years later starkly underscores the transformation in the U.S.-Soviet relations since he took control of the party. In diplomatic circles today, the talk is of cooperation, mutual interests, and multilateral diplomacy. Confrontation between the capitalist and socialist systems has taken a back seat. U.S. tycoons who Mr Gorbachev and his staff hinted at a visit