26 October 2011
Mikhail Gorbachev’s International Lecture TourFrom October 9 to October 23, 2011, Mikhail Gorbachev visited a number of countries on an extensive lecture tour. In response to numerous requests he also participated in various public events held in Belgium, Canada, the United Stated and Mexico. The visit to Belgium was at the invitation of the University of Liège, which awarded him an Honorary Doctor degree, and of the Societe d’Investissements de Wallonie. Gorbachev’s lecture, delivered at the big auditorium of the city’s cultural center, was heard by over 3,000 students, professors, businessmen, and city residents. In particular, Mikhail Gorbachev focused on the problems facing Europe today and the place of Russia in the European integration process.
“The end of the Cold War opened up unprecedented opportunities for Europe. However, Europeans have failed to make effective use of them. This has affected the developments in the continent and, as a result, Europe has failed to fulfill its potential as a powerful factor in global politics.
The expectations that all problems faced by the continent would be resolved through building Europe solely from the west, through the enlargement of the European Union, have proved unjustified. It was a grave mistake for the Europeans not to engage Russia in a full-blown integration effort following the end of the Cold War. Through all these years, relations with Russia have been left in a state of uncertainty, despite numerous declarations of cooperation and even partnership.
The EU business community has enormous opportunities for cooperation with Russia as the country is trying to effect structural shifts in its economy and move away from a predominantly commodity export-oriented model to a different, more modern one and to revive its industries,” Mikhail Gorbachev said in the concluding part of his lecture, after which he fielded questions from students and experts. Gorbachev also gave a press conference that focused mostly on the domestic situation in Russia.
The Canadian leg of the trip started after a 12-hour flight to Vancouver. The key event here was an address to an audience of 18 thousand young people who gathered together at a massive event called We Day 2011, organized annually by international group Free the Children, a group cofounded in 1995 by the brothers Craig and Marc Kielburger. The group pursues numerous charitable and humanitarian projects, including in Africa.
Addressing the young Canadians, Mikhail Gorbachev said:
“Do not believe that politics is a dirty business; that it is incompatible with morality. Politics is difficult business. But without a moral core it is empty; it is just a game of intrigue, a game that is worse than zero sum. We tried to combine morality and politics – both in Russia and in the international affairs. I believe we have by and large succeeded in doing that. Therefore, the changes Perestroika brought to the world have been positive. I am convinced of that.
Secondly, today only joint, collective leadership is possible in world affairs. It is essential that everyone should realize that. There can be no ‘empire’ in a global world; there can be no ‘superpower’ that decides everything for others, assuming the role of prosecutor, judge and policeman...”
In his thank-you letter to Mikhail Gorbachev, Craig Kielburger expressed profound gratitude for the president’s visit to Vancouver: “It was a true honor. We have heard from countless educators and students alike that their favorite part of We Day was President Gorbachev’s speech.”
Mikhail Gorbachev’s lectures at two of the leading U.S. education centers, the University of Wyoming and Pennsylvania’s Lafayette College, were a big success. Both lectures took place at sports arenas – otherwise it would have been impossible to accommodate all those willing to listen to the former Soviet leader, many of them arriving from neighboring states. Addressing the audience Mikhail Gorbachev said that the end of the Cold War opened the way to a global world. However, as he pointed out, the opportunities that were opened up have not been fully used:
“The main reason for that is the erroneous perception of the end of the Cold War.
The break-up of the Soviet Union was caused by domestic reasons, but many in the West welcomed it with enormous enthusiasm. The end of the Cold War, which was a victory for both sides and for the world, was declared a victory for the West and the United States. ‘The only superpower’ claimed a monopoly on leadership in international affairs. I used to say to my Western counterparts: It is not only our country that will have to change; everybody, including you, will have to change. The rapid changes taking place in the world leave no alternative to anyone.
But since the West declared victory in the Cold War, it concluded no change was needed and old ways could be used, such as reliance on military power, political and economic pressure, and attempts to impose a single model on everyone.
There was eventalk that the United States was not just the sole remaining superpower, but a ‘hyperpower’, that America was capable of building a global ‘empire of a new type’.
It didn’t work. It soon became clear that such a burden is too heavy for anyone, even for the United States.
Today, many people in the United States and in the West admit it was a wrong course to take. However, the time that could have been used to build a truly new world order, was wasted.”
Mikhail Gorbachev appealed for “building an organic partnership in the vast space from Vancouver to Vladivostok. It is essential for our countries to build such a “belt of partnership,” encompassing America, Europe and Russia. This idea echoes President Dmitry Medvedev’s proposal to negotiate a new European security treaty. It is a goal that can be reached, although it will take time and strenuous joint effort”.
The leader of Perestroika could not fail to mention the Occupy Wall Street movement, sweeping across the United States and spreading to other countries and continents. He said:
“We are witnessing right now a growing protest movement. Every morning we hear reports of it spreading to more countries at every continent.
Millions of people are protesting and asking why they have to carry the burden of the crisis and tighten their belts while they are not to blame for the crisis.
Unfortunately, extremists, irresponsible elements are also trying to hijack this movement. They must be condemned. However, it is wrong, as some people do, to condemn the entire protest movement on such grounds.
I believe that what we see is a legitimateprotest of a growing number of people against inequality and injustice in the distribution of public wealth. This protest is consistent with the principles of democracy.”
Mikhail Gorbachev also visited the Lyndon Johnson Presidential Library at the University of Texas in Austin, where he was given a tour of its exhibits, reflecting a controversial period in the U.S. history, during which sweeping social reforms were implemented. Addressing the gathering in the library’s hall, he spoke about the Perestroika period, the foreign policy initiatives of the Soviet leadership, and the arduous path towards signing nuclear reduction treaties: “We ultimately succeeded in creating an atmosphere of trust in relations between our states. We must prevent it from being destroyed”.
Heads of all the 13 U.S. presidential libraries were present in the audience. Warm messages of greetings for Mikhail Gorbachevу from Nancy Reagan and President George H. W. Bush were read at the dinner that followed the event.
A brief stay Mikhail Gorbachev in Juárez, Mexico, was one of the tour’s highlights. Lying on the border with the United States, this city for years has been struggling to break out of the vicious cycle of drug trade and economic distress. Determined efforts to end this outrageous situation are resisted by powerful criminal clans. Nevertheless, these efforts, supported both by the government and the local public, are yielding some initial results. The recently constructed Paso del Norte Cultural Center, where Mikhail Gorbachev gave his speech, has become a symbol of the city’s revival. In his opening remarks, Miguel Aleman Velasco, president of Juárez Competitiva, said that through his activities Gorbachev proved that change is possible and obstacles in its way can be overcome. He also spoke about trade and economic ties between Mexico and Russia: as a prominent example he cited a recent purchase of 50 Sukhoi SuperJet aircraft by his airline.
Addressing the Mexican audience, Mikhail Gorbachev said:
“In today’s global, rapidly changing world, reform, change is an imperative. It is needed like the air we breathe. However, the success of reform is not some gift from heaven. In every country, the society needs to identify its own approach towards reform with due regard for that country’s unique features. Also, the reform will be a success if its initiators get strong support from citizens. I am confident that you will succeed through joint effort.
The difficulties faced by reformers are enormous. Ultimately, they reflect the global turmoil the world has been going through in recent years – turmoil to which many people react by panicking. One of the reasons for that is that people do not understand the nature and the causes of this phenomenon.
I am convinced that this turmoil reflects the enormous difficulties of the transition from the divided world we know and to which we have grown accustomed, to a world that is different – a global, rapidly changing and interconnected world.
The reforms needed today should serve one goal: build a new common human civilization that ensures decent life to every nation and every individual, the survival of nature, and sustainable development.
Will it be accomplished? The challenge is huge; the difficulties are numerous and not easily predictable. But I am an inveterate optimist. The leaders of today, today’s reformers, have to be optimists. I wish them success”.
The last stop on Mikhail Gorbachev’s tour was Montreal, where he addressed members of the business community at the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal. Here, as in other lectures on his trip, Russia, its current situation and prospects, featured prominently:
“During the years when Russia was weakened as a result of the reckless policies of Yeltsin and his associates, many in the West thought that Russia was dispensable and its position could be ignored.
In fact, when the West was applauding the shock therapy policies which plunged tens of millions Russians into poverty, the Russian people reacted with bitterness. They were wondering: “Does the West want a weak Russia?”
But Russia had its periods of weakness in the past, and it always proved temporary. And today, politicians in the West seem better to understand that Russia will remain a major player, a heavyweight in global politics. It is in everybody’s interest that it plays a constructive role.
It cannot be denied that on key issues of the international agenda Russia has been playing a constructive role. I refer to nuclear disarmament (the signing of a new START treaty by the U.S. and Russian Presidents), participation in international efforts to resolve the Middle East crisis, wide-ranging support of efforts to fight terrorism, including in Afghanistan, and many other examples of successful cooperation in the world arena.
But does Russia always meet with understanding, and do our Western partners show readiness to build equitable relations? The answer is no. Mistrust and suspicion still persist in the Western attitudes towards my country. It is easy to conclude looking at recent WikiLeaks revelations of U.S. diplomatic cables that such attitudes are widespread and that many top U.S. officials have a completely distorted perception of our country.
Hence accusations that Russia is aggressive, has “imperial ambitions”, seeks to restore the Soviet Union and bully its neighbors into submission. Hence U.S. efforts to manipulate Russia’s neighbors, cause obstacles to energy and other projects aimed at building a platform of sustainable, good-neighborly relations between the newly independent states.
Seeing the hand of Moscow behind everything happening, accusing it of all possible sins, reflects the legacy of the Cold War; it is something we must get rid of. It is time to stop playing up to anti-Russian attitudes and encouraging policies that are hostile to Russia.
Of course, we understand that today’s Russia is far from perfect; and above all it concerns our domestic affairs, our internal problems. Russia is a country in transition, a difficult transition from a totalitarian, Communist system towards a real democracy, vibrant civil society and a market economy.
We are at best halfway down the road in this transition. And we ourselves are unhappy about many things. I have repeatedly voiced my concerns, I have criticized and continue to criticize the dominance of the executive over the legislative and judicial branches, major flaws in the election system, pressures on electronic media, failure of the authorities to defeat corruption, etc. These are all real issues. And yet it would be a grave mistake to conclude that Russia is sliding back into the past. This is not so; Russia will not swerve from the path of democratic transformations. I am confident of that.”
Mikhail Gorbachev’s trip got extensive coverage in electronic and print media in all the countries he visited.
See also:
Ceremony at the University of Liège Lecture at the University of Wyoming http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2011/10/15/news/01top_10-15-11.txt Gorbachev's Q&A with Alan Simpson at University of Wyoming, October 2011 Lecture at Lafayette College http://www.lafayette.edu/about/news/2011/10/20/photo-galleries-of-mikhail-gorbachevs-visit/ We Day 2011 Lecture in Juárez |
The XXI century will be a сentury either of total all-embracing crisis or of moral and spiritual healing that will reinvigorate humankind. It is my conviction that all of us - all reasonable political leaders, all spiritual and ideological movements, all faiths - must help in this transition to a triumph of humanism and justice, in making the XXI century a century of a new human renaissance.
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