And it is fairly certain that Bush will continue dealing with the Palestinian Liberation Organization in its search for a solution to the Middle East crisis, experts say. And one Harvard professor says he would not expect Bush to discontinue Reagan's policy of "constructive engagement" with the apartheid regime of South Africa.

"Two years ago, you could say that constructive engagement was an excuse for a stand-pat policy, a do-nothing policy," says Thompson Professor of Government Martin L. Kilson. But he says the plan has allowed the U.S. to mediate the recent Southern African peace settlement, which ties the withdrawal of Cuban troops in Angola with Namibian independence from South Africa.

Despite potential pitfalls, experts say, more peace pacts could continue to defuse tensions between the two superpowers, setting the stage for a new age of cooperation.

"If the present trend in the Soviet Union lasts, let's say, five or seven years or more, then the whole concept of NATO should be reworked," says Ulam, an expert in Soviet foreign policy.

"If indeed Gorbachev succeeds, we could really be on the brink of a whole new era," Goldman says. "It's not a question of holding down the military budget. It may be just chopping it up."

Jonathan S. Cohn contributed to the reporting of this story.