The 1989 Malta ‘Non-Summit’ Summit

My latest paper, ‘Burying the Cold War in the Mediterranean Sea’: The 1989 Bush – Gorbachev Malta ‘Non-Summit’ Summit, was published in Melita Historica, Vol. XVII, No. 4.

In the field of political science, the year 1989 can be defined as a ‘critical juncture’: “a period of significant change... which is hypothesised to produce distinct legacies.” The events of that year began a rapid process which dismantled the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and ushered in a new world order.

In this study, I look at the role Malta played in the closing days of the Cold War in 1989. I focus specifically on the Bush – Gorbachev meeting held off the coast of Malta in December 1989. I utilise documents released from the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library, as well as other contemporary newspaper records and political memoirs.