It was an odd role for a Soviet leader. All last week, during his private talks with Egypt's President Gamal Abdel Nasser, Russian Premier Aleksei Kosygin found himself forced to go soft on imperialism. At least that is what Soviet sources traveling with Kosygin were leaking to Western newsmen. "Actually," argued one Russian, "we are fighting Washington's battle. And we're having as much trouble restraining Nasser as you used to have restraining Chiang Kai-shek."
Crux of the matter is Nasser's burning desire to mount a military offensive against Saudi Arabia, which has...