In August 1991, hard-line members of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) who opposed President Mikhail Gorbachev’s reforms…
Taking the Chill off the Cold War: The First Reagan-Gorbachev Summit
The Geneva Summit of 1985 was the first meeting between President Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Gorbachev to talk about the arms…
“Mr. Gorbachev, Tear down this wall!”
On June 12, 1987, President Ronald Reagan made one of his most famous Cold War speeches at the Berlin Wall.…
The Reagan-Gorbachev Arms Control Breakthrough
Back to Memoirs and Occasional Papers The Reagan-Gorbachev Arms Control Breakthrough:The Treaty Eliminating Intermediate-range Nuclear Force (INF) Missiles This is…

From START to Finish: Behind the Scenes of the Tense U.S.-Soviet Nuclear Disarmament in Reykjavík
The 45-year-long Cold War of protracted geopolitical contention between two global powerhouses helped determine the unprecedented magnitude of nuclear weapons…

A Jack of All Trades: Working Without Foreign Service Nationals in Moscow
Foreign service officers are often subject to circumstances beyond their control. Such was the case when a diplomatic quarrel occurred…

A Public Diplomacy Career: Touring Astronauts, Saving Battleships, and More
Diplomatic history is a fascinating field full of peace conferences, negotiations, and summits; but it also includes dozens of other…
U.S.-Russia Competition in Ukraine in the ‘90s
This moment is one of four in a series about Russia, Ukraine, and U.S. relations in a world of post-Ukrainian…
Russia–Ukraine Tensions
This moment is one of four in a series about Russia, Ukraine, and U.S. relations in a world of post-Ukrainian…
Beginning a U.S.-Ukraine Relationship
This “Moment in U.S. Diplomatic History” is one of four in a series about Russia, Ukraine, and U.S. relations in…