Second, Western leaders including President Bush are becoming increasingly and properly nervous that a potential collapse of the Soviet economy and debt servicing capability could be tied to them personally.
Building and maintaining your credibility via your messaging and servicing will also position you well for the future, regardless of what the economy is doing.
When the debt on which interest is paid equals the GDP level of a nation, the economy must grow faster than the interest rate to avoid debt-servicing costs consuming all the benefit of economic growth.
Apollo torpedoed the deal as the economy weakened and banks grew reluctant to finance a combined company that would have a hard time servicing its big new debts.