"This man has a nice smile, but he has got iron teeth." Coming from the notoriously dour Andrei Gromyko, it was a revealing endorsement. To combat the image of decrepitude generated by a succession of Red Square funerals, the Kremlin knew it needed someone youthful and vigorous, To compete effectively in the arena of international public opinion, and particularly to vie with Ronald Reagan, it required its own Great Communicator, with a commanding presence on the podium, strong eye contact at the bargaining table, and a nice smile for the camera. That man was Mikhail Gorbachev, 54, the youngest member of...
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