"The opportunities that Gorbachev created for international relations have also been missed, perhaps even lost - here, however, primarily because of the United States"

This quote by Stephen Cohen is referring to the chances for international relations that were produced by Mikhail Gorbachev throughout his time as the leader of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev's policies of glasnost and perestroika opened the Soviet Union to the rest of the world, and created the capacity for improved relations between the Soviet Union and the United States. Unfortunately, these chances have been missed, and sometimes, lost, mainly due to the actions of the United States. The United States has actually stopped working to make the most of the chances that Gorbachev produced, and as a result, the capacity for better worldwide relations has been squandered. This is an excellent loss, as the potential for better relations in between the two nations might have had a favorable influence on the world.