In Praise of Mikhail Gorbachev
November 11th, 2009 Posted in History, Russia, CommunismEric Margolis reminds us of Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev’s critical role 20 years ago. By keeping the Soviet tanks parked on their bases, he allowed Eastern Europe to and ultimately his own country to escape communism.
Writes Margolis:
In the end, Gorbachev was left the leader of a nation that had ceased to exist, the USSR, the object of popular wrath, a great statesman without a country, a Russian King Lear on a blasted heath.
Twenty years later, the world owes Gorbachev an enormous debt of gratitude for ending the Cold War, and freeing Eastern Europe and the Baltic states. Thank our lucky stars Gorbachev was in power when the Soviet Union met its inevitable collapse – or we could have faced World War III.
Mikhail Sergeyevitch Gorbachev showed that once in a millennium a great political leader can rise above the law of the jungle.