Gorbachev says security top challenge for today's leaders

The new century has been marred by catastrophic and deadly events, but security remains the No. 1 challenge for today's leaders, former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev told a sold-out crowd at the Wortham Center on Thursday evening.

"Unless we are able to meet that challenge … all other plans will be condemned," said Gorbachev, who spoke as part of the Brilliant Lecture Series that brings iconic figures to Houston.

The 81-year-old talked about his role in ending the Cold War and his reflections on what leaders should be working on in the 21st century.

In the two decades since his resignation from politics, Gorbachev has remained involved in world affairs through his organizations focused on world peace and the environment - the Gorbachev Foundation and the Green Cross International.

While the 20th century was marked by scientific and technological achievements as well as the "unprecedented cruelty" of two world wars, the Cold War and the nuclear arms race, the former president said current political leaders again face historic challenges.

He specifically pointed to incidents including the 9/11 attacks, Hurricane Katrina, tsunamis in the Indian Ocean, nuclear disaster in Japan and the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria.

'Amazed' by Romney

Besides security, other priorities should be massive poverty, lack of access to electricity, sanitation, clean water and "the global environmental crisis," he told the audience.

"The ability of the Earth to cater to the needs of the growing number people on Earth is limited and we are approaching those limits," he said. "Instead of focusing on saving our planet, the focus was made on, above all, free trade and free flow of capital."

A new crop of leaders are needed to mount an "unprecedented response to these problems … it's basically a question of the survival of mankind."

Through a translator, Gorbachev drew laughs and applause when he addressed the comments of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who earlier this year referred to Russia as America's "No. 1 geopolitical foe."

"When I heard during this campaign a remark that the Soviet Union is the No. 1 problem for the American foreign policy, I was amazed," he said to strong audience reaction. "I hope that it was just a person who misspoke. But in such matters, one should not misspeak."

Downplays armed force

In an earlier media briefing, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate commented on the conflict between oil exploration and environmental preservation as well as Mideast peace through negotiations.

"This is the kind of tension that exists throughout the world. This problem is also compounded by the fact that the oil resources are not unlimited," he said.

Admired for restructuring government and engineering governmental openness, he also cautioned against hegemony.

"I think now Americans understand that they have no God-given right to build a global empire," he said, adding that Mideast peace should be a collaborative effort. "The problem needs to be solved not by missiles and not by tanks or aircraft, but by political and diplomatic efforts, by efforts on a people-to-people basis and I think that something may be moving in that direction."

Earlier Thursday, Gorbachev and his daughter had lunch with former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, former first lady Barbara Bush and former Secretary of State James Baker.

Houston Chronicle, 2.11.2012