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Show Theformer Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev talks about his new work in response to a growing danger ‘TheWell-Bei gO COLI N GREE Adign wdes Jidenvente BY O ONE, PERHAPS, HAS influenced the politics of today’s world more than Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet leader who helped shape the tumultuous eventsthat changed the map of Europe in the late 1980s. At the same time, these events forced Gorbachevhimself to change profoundly As a young man, Mikhail Gorbachev rose through the Communist system of the Soviet Union, becoming in 1985 the absolute ruler of the only nation competing for supremacy with the United States. For half a century, the two superpowers had been locked in an ideological and military face-off that threatened several generations with nuclear disaster. But even as Gorbachev took over its leadership, he sawthe internal The West, suspicious at first, was quickly charmed by his energy. decisiveness | and sincerity. “Gorby” became an international superstar. He shook hands with adoring crowds in Washington, D.C. He pulled Soviet troops out of Afghanistan and then from Eastern Europe. He watched the Berlin Wall fall without intervening, thus acknowledging the sym- bolic end of the Cold War. In 1990, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for peace At home, however, Gorbachev was less popular, increasingly derided and even ridiculed. He was criticized for not taking reform far enough in instituting a free-market democracy, and he became a lightning rod for everything that was not working. He opposed the secession of COVER PHOTOGRAPH BY EDDIE ADAMS nations work together. | CG: People ask whether you intend to become reinvotved in Russian politics, Do you have such intentions? How concerned are you about what is occurring in Russia now? MG: I have to say that unless something unpredictable occurs, I will not do tha: I have chosen the Green Cross as my pri ority. | am serious and careful about what I become involved with. The Green 3 is very important, and I am committed to it. I worry about risks to democracy in my country, which were just begir ning to growthere when the authorities took steps to restrict the press and the openness in our country. That's whyI felt I had to speak out whea I did a few months ago. I will continue to do that when I feelit is necessary. CG: You grew up in a farm farnily. in this country, farmers are known for weakness of the giant union of Soviet states. Additionally, the costly arms race with the United States precipitated a devastating economic crisis and a popular revolt, beginning a chain of events whose effects we are still experiencing. But even though these cataclysmic events ultimately displaced him, it was Gorbachev who set them in motion. A staunch Socialist, he recognized the need to correct an economic and political systemthat was failing. He injected the first notes of freedom into a society where secrecy, repression and disinformation were pervasive, by promoting glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring), releasing dissidents and giving accurate information to the press. He made overtures to the United States concerning arms control. We need a global focus. We can’t build an ecologically safe future unless their independence. Has there long been a dormant democrat in you— was there a democrat in you as a little boy and as a young man? MG: No. I can’t claim that I’ve al 2 been ready to find these values. I Warm tc oped much later. When I was a high school student, I wrote an essay for whach I received top marks, called “Stalin Is the Glory of Our Country, Stalin Is the Youth.” I don’t want to repackage my past. It wasn’t a simple road to travel. We Soviet republics, which began the disintegration of the USSR. Finally, an unsuccessful coup by military leaders exposed his dangerous misjudgment in trusting old-guard Communist allies. On Dec. 25, 1991, Gorbachevresigned as president after six years that had transformed his nation. In one of the first triumphs of the fragile democracy he had nurtured, the Russian people voted to replace him with Boris Yeltsin, his ally turned rival Today, at 62, Gorbachev is a private citizen, traveling frequently and speaking around the workd. Recently, he became resident of the newly formed Green Cross International, whose aim is to foCus attention on policies that create environmental hazards. I was curious to learn more about Gorbachev's current work, as well as his perspective on worid affairs We met against the grandeur of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Washington, D.C. though Mr. Gorbachev himself was warm and down-to-earth. An sat to my right, but the formez Soviet leader made constant cye contact, smiled frequently and answered each question I asked in a personal manner. He kept his hands in front of him on the table as he talked, occasionally punctuating an idea by point- ing a finger or raising his chin slightly. Colin Greer: | understand that you have become a strong environmentalist. Why have you chosen to join the Green Cross in its work? Mikhail Gorbachey: We have to protect the environment. The Green Crossis in its infancy but is already drawing strong support. The organization began in several nations before becoming an international organization. We recognize the need for a new way to bring nations together on this question really didn’t have 2 good idea of the woric around us. The censorship of informa tion was the situation in our country, that was one ofthe pillars of the existing regime. I learned about the system from within. Just like reformers before me. ! thought that we had a system that could be improved. Instead, I learned that we had a system that needed to be replaced So the development of the ideas on whuch I based myleadership was not an ¢2s) process. It didn’t happen overnight. Ever when we began the process of reform we understood that we made mistakes To describe the road that I had to trav el has taken me more than 500 pages my new memoirs. CG:| understand that the Green Cross is making military toxins a major prvority. Why is that? MG: This is the ecological consequenc< of the Cold War. It is extremely severe There are different types of toxic wasics stored and leaked worldwide which a the legacy of the Cold War. The US. anc PAGE 4 iSUATY T2 SSA PARADE WAGATNE |
