Gorbachev Celebrates Perestroika in D.C.

     Both the United States and Russia emerged victorious with the end of the Cold War, says former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
     "I would not be making a mistake to say that perestroika won. It succeeded," he said Friday night during a celebration of the 20th anniversary of governmental reforms that ultimately ended the hostilities between the two nations.
     Gorbachev also reflected on the current state of world affairs, noting the role of the United States as the sole superpower.
     "America has a right to be a leader," Gorbachev said. But he added, "this leadership should be realized through partnership, not domination."
     Former President Clinton and former Secretary of State Colin Powell were among about 200 guests who attended what Gorbachev described as a "meeting of old friends."
     Gorbachev is credited with engineering a series of reforms, called perestroika, in the Soviet Union that led to the fall of communism, the rise of democratic governments in Eastern Europe and the end of the decades-long nuclear arms race between the United States and Russia. In 1990, he won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work.
     Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and several senior members of the Reagan administration also attended the event, which was co-organized by the Gorbachev Foundation and the Frank Foundation.
     A crowd that included actress Shirley MacLaine and media mogul Ted Turner dined on caviar and steak and listened to speeches by Clinton and Powell praising Gorbachev.
     "It was obvious from the beginning with perestroika blooming in Russia, there was a new openness, a new sense of freedom, there was a new leader," Clinton said. "He will go down in history as a person who changed the world for the better."
     Clinton also joked about an award they share.
     "The real reason he likes me is that we won a Grammy together," Clinton said. The leaders teamed up with actress Sophia Loren to record a version of the Russian folk tale "Peter and The Wolf" for charity. They won the American music award last year.
     Gorbachev finally received his statuette as a surprise at Friday night's celebration.

Associated Press, October 22, 2005