Emanuel Parker. "Gorbachev says U.S. has "illusion of omnipotence"

     PASADENA - Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev said the United States has an illusion of omnipotence - "the victory complex" - that's more dangerous than Russia's inferiority complex.
     "Both countries should overcome those feelings," he said, "and their leaders should reflect what the people want, and what the people want is dialogue."
     Gorbachev spoke through an interpreter Wednesday to a full house at the Distinguished Speaker Series at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.
     He said the United States has a right to claim a leadership role in the world based on its military, cultural and economic power.
     "But partnerships rather than domination should be used to exercise that power," he said. Gorbachev, the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize winner, spoke for almost 90 minutes on a wide range of issues.
     On Iraq, he said: "I believe the only way out is for the U.S. to have an exit strategy that gives Iraq a chance to solve its problems, gets help from other Arab nations and does so with the involvement of the U.N. Security Council."
    Gorbachev took a swipe at the Bush administration's efforts to bring democracy to Iraq.
     "Leaders should learn from Russia and not interfere in other countries," he said. "You cannot enforce democracy. Democracy is only worth something if it's homegrown. We need to respect other nations. Those who try and teach democracy often have a history that's not that good."
     Gorbachev said it would be a mistake to lump the majority of the world's 1.5 billion Muslims with a few extremists and fundamentalists.
     "Traditional Islam and Christianity share the same values," he said. "They don't want to be condescended to. They want to be equals with the West."
     "We're still using the old tools of force, thinking that war solves problems," Gorbachev said. "The people of the world don't need or want that, and instead envision living in a balanced, stable world where diversity is accepted and recognized."
     He said perestroika, the government restructuring he started in the Soviet Union, was interrupted by the corrupt administration of Boris Yeltsin, but is resuming under Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Anything can happen," he said. "There will be rollbacks and we may stumble, but Russia will never turn back, Russia will move forward.
     "We want to have democracy. But what you did in 200 years, we cannot do in 200 days."
     There has been backsliding on nuclear treaties he signed with Presidents Reagan and George H. W. Bush in the 1980s and '90s, he said.
     "We agreed neither country would use nuclear weapons in a first strike. We signed a statement that said a nuclear war could not be won and should never be fought," he said.
     Current U.S. nuclear strategy discusses the possibility of using nuclear weapons for a first strike, he said, so Russia has inserted similar language in their nuclear plans.

"San Gabriel Valley Tribune", April 6, 2006