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Mikhail Gorbachev calls for world unity on Standard visit
Joe Murphy12 Mar 2009
Mikhail Gorbachev today used a visit to the Evening Standard to call for a new era of international co-operation - and urged America to stop acting as the world's policeman.
Speaking to the newspaper, the former leader of the Soviet Union revealed he is working on moves to reduce the world's stockpiles of weapons, gave his backing to Gordon Brown's attempts to solve the economic crisis and declared that David Cameron is not yet ready to take power.
And, looking ahead to a visit to Washington, the 78-year-old gave strong backing to Barack Obama but said Americans must stop trying to run the world.
"One day it will have to stop giving orders and stop trying to tell the whole world how it should act," said President Gorbachev.
"And its military must try to act within this new order, so that when all the countries of the United Nations propose solutions together, their decisions will be brought to life."
Mr Gorbachev, one of the most important figures of the past century, visited the Evening Standard to show his support for the newspaper's staff and new owner, Alexander Lebedev.
He toured the Standard's Kensington offices and made a speech before giving an impromptu press conference.
As Soviet president, he changed the course of history with the twin reform programmes of "glasnost" and "perestroika" - openness and reconstruction - that ushered in democracy and the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Awarded the Nobel peace prize in 2000, he is now working on plans to cut the number of nuclear missiles and conventional arms.
"Even if we got rid of every nuclear weapon in the world, 75 per cent of the world's weapons left over would be in the USA," he said. "Therefore, we have to control the militarisation of the world, and not just nuclear weapons."
He is working with Ronald Reagan's former Secretary of State, George Schultz, with whom he negotiated arms control treaties in the Eighties, to hold a major international conference on the issue in Rome this year.
Despite his criticism of past US foreign policy, Mr Gorbachev was full of praise for President Obama and looking forward to meeting him in Washington.
He said: "America needs its own perestroika right now and the problems he is dealing with are not easy ones."
Mr Gorbachev also backed Mr Brown's idea of international reform and greater co-operation. He added: "I think he has made several really wise decisions that have been taken up by his partners in other countries."
But he felt Tory leader Mr Cameron was too wedded to the policies of the Eighties. "To me, the Conservative Party is not ready to give up the policies of the Reaganomics era. Maybe they would like to take the initiative but they are not ready for that yet."
Mr Gorbachev's speech was translated from Russian by Mr Lebedev, who joked: "I have to warn the editor-in-chief that I am a highly expensive interpreter."
The Evening Standard's new editor, Geordie Greig, said he was delighted by the support of such a famed promoter of democracy.
"Mikhail Gorbachev was a man who sacrificed the power of the world's largest empire to give democratic freedom to his people and he is now interested in supporting news-papers and free speech," he said.
Reader views (11)
Great, Gorby! You sold Russia for peanuts and Luis Vuitton bag and now promoting yourself in the UK. You should do much more for Russia and bilateral relations between Britan and Russia and recover what was lost during your time!
- Den, Brighton, 12/03/2009 22:01
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Mr Gorbachev was a great advocate for Democracy and the world is grateful. Let's not bash the US too much though, it is a wonderful country.
However, I wish they wouldn't back the ira
- Paul, Bromley, 12/03/2009 21:16
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Quote: Duncan, Kent.
Oliver Cromwell was hardly a commoner he was landed gentry. The local squire and lord of the manor.
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Since when were the middle classes; anything other than commoners Duncan.
Even Lady Thatcher was a commoner before she became a Godess.
- Mickyinlondon, london, 12/03/2009 14:57
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Although I'm not so effervescent as previous commenters, this is surely an excellent boost for the new ownership. May Mr Gorbachev maintain his support - and monitor the output from ES to ensure it maintains its previous high-quality "Standard".
- Duyfken, UK, 12/03/2009 14:50
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Just Rob testing
- Test, Testing, 12/03/2009 14:45
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Gorbachev will go down as one of the truly great statesmen of our time -- possibly the greatest. Those of my generation can remember what the U.S.S.R. was like in the immediate years before Gorbachev. It seemed totally impossible to contemplate the Cold War not carrying on for at least the rest of my life. But Gorbachev opened the door. I remember him visiting Ottawa in the late 1980s with the seven-foot-tall bodyguard that accompanied him everywhere. Walking through the main pedestrian mall and waving to Canadians just feet away. You could tell that this was a man with a vision -- a man for his time.
- Phil Jones, London UK, 12/03/2009 14:09
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This tokens well for the new owner of the Standard and we should give him a fair chance.He may stand for our freedoms more than such as Murdoch.
- Iain Morse, edinburgh, 12/03/2009 14:07
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Oliver Cromwell was hardly a commoner he was landed gentry. The local squire and lord of the manor.
Gorbachev was a visionary in the land of the blind sadly his impact will be lost with the inexorable return of Russia to dictatorship under Putin. Stalin taught the KGB very well and they run Russia and have done since the early 50's. Gorbachev looked like he stopped them Yelstin threw it away allowing Putin in.
- Duncan, Kent, 12/03/2009 13:56
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Mikhail Gorbachev is in my opinion; one of the greatest ever Russian politicians.
I would class him along-side Oliver Cromwell; the only commoner ever to rule England; a very big feat indeed; when you consider that he had to take on and defeat not only the Crown of England; but all the Lords and Barons as well.
Gorbachev was a very brave man indeed; to take on the Russian State.
At that time; few would have thought it possible.
- Mickyinlondon, london, 12/03/2009 12:10
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I totally agree with Bloketchik. Thank you, Mr Gorbachev, for doing so much to lift the shadow of the cold war. For so many years people in both the West and East lived under the constant threat of nuclear annhilation. This world is far from perfect, but Mr Gorbachev's actions did much to remove a great deal of the suspicion and tension that existed from the 50's through to the early 90's.
- Ben, London, 12/03/2009 11:41
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Mikhail Gorbachev deserves to be spoken of in the same breath with Nelson Mandela for his vision and courage in changing the map of politics in the twentieth century.
- Bloketchik, London, 12/03/2009 10:36
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