This volume investigates the primary diplomatic objectives and foreign policy decisions of the United States government during the 1986 calendar year. Compiled by historian David S. Patterson, the text serves as a comprehensive archival record of official statements, treaties, and correspondence. It provides the necessary primary source material for researchers to analyze the administration's strategic posture during a pivotal period of the Cold War.

Scholars and historians frequently utilize this series as a foundational reference for verifying the official record of American diplomatic history. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, as the text prioritizes raw documentation over narrative interpretation.