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But one thing Gromyko should have noticed is that his intransigent attitude is not playing well in Western Europe, where leaders are now far less inclined than they have been in the past to hold Reagan responsible for the souring in East-West relations. "We saw that at the summit in London," says a top State Department official. "There will be some who blame Ronald Reagan's rhetoric, but the fact is that Western leaders understand what is taking place in Moscow. It is becoming clear that no matter what the U.S. does, the Soviets will not respond."
As comforting as the new display of Western solidarity may be, it carries its own risks. The more isolated the Soviets become, the more unpredictable their behavior. By going out of their way to alienate the nations that surround them, the Soviets are only making their paranoia about encirclement self-fulfilling. "One of the puzzling things," says a senior Western diplomat in Moscow, "is that the Soviets appear to be acting against their own self-interest." If Gromyko wants to be remembered for something more substantive than his longevity, he will have to apply his considerable talents to the search for a more stable and less dangerous U.S.Soviet relationship.
—By John Kohan.
Reported by Erik Amfitheatrof/Moscow and William Stewart/Washington, with other bureaus.