Liberal, Conservative, and Moderate analysts have agreed only little over the years, but are unanimous that the Moscow summit was a failure because the Clinton Administration's muddled foreign policy confused the Russians. Clinton told Russian President Putin that the 1972 ABM Treaty was the cornerstone of world stability, then demanded that the treaty be modified to allow the US to build its defense system. Clinton insisted that the defense system was needed, but that it would not threaten Russia's ability to destroy the US. Analysts noted that the Clinton Administration has never issued a consistent set of principles.--Stephen V Cole