East-West Let's Count Down

For omen seekers, the outward signs were propitious. Secretary of State James Baker bounded down the stairs, hurried to Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze's side and offered a hearty handshake. Smiling and pumping arms, they then began their maiden meeting in the glittering, baroque Festsaal in the sprawling Hofburg, that imperial crescent of stone buildings in the heart of Vienna. The locale was rich with inspiration: in 1815 the Congress of Vienna convened at the nearby chancellery to redraw the political face of Europe. Last week's gathering of 35 foreign ministers ushered in a modern-day reprise to redraft the Continent's military...