Posted on 05/30/2005 10:43:56 AM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
GENEVA (Reuters) - U.S. efforts to dominate the world could end in disaster, Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet Union's last leader who launched an era of cooperation with the United States that ended the Cold War, said on Monday.
A critic of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, Gorbachev called for the rapid withdrawal of what he called occupation forces, warning: "The longer they stay, the worse the situation will get.
"You cannot get anywhere ... by trying to dominate," he told a meeting marking the 20th anniversary of his 1985 Geneva summit with U.S. President Ronald Reagan, a turning point in then frigid East-West relations.
"That doesn't work with small countries nowadays, and even less with big ones like Russia, Iran and -- heaven forbid -- China. That way lies disaster," said Gorbachev, who lost his post as president when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991.
"Trying to be a world gendarme today is an illusion. That is not the way ahead, but a blind alley."
Insistence by the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush that it had the right to use nuclear weaponry amounted to renunciation of the course he charted with Reagan and Bush's father in the second half of the 1980s, he said.
If Washington pursued its efforts to put a defensive weapons system in space, the 74-year-old Gorbachev told the meeting at the United Nations European headquarters, "it will spark a new arms race, with all the consequences....
"Surely it would be better if we worked together to eliminate nuclear weapons entirely and to use the resources that freed to eradicate poverty and misery around the globe?" he asked his audience, which included U.S. diplomats.
Gorbachev, who during much of his time in power from 1985 to 1991 also served as Communist Party chief, said he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin was committed to social democratic form of government.
Suggestions often heard in the outside world that Putin, an agent of the KGB security police in Soviet days, was trying to turn the clock back to authoritarian rule showed a lack of understanding of what was happening in the country, he said.
Putin, he said, "inherited from (first Russian president Boris) Yeltsin total chaos, in the economic, financial, political, foreign policy and every other area of national life. He had to bring it all under control.
"Is he succeeding? Perhaps not. Limiting democracy is a mistake ... But the people are on Putin's side because he is trying to solve social problems, to put an end to the poverty in which many live."
Obviously, Gorby should work on containing himself.
He's an idiot and he has to travel outside of Russia to get anyone to listen to him.
Nope, no bias there at all.
If the world was in unison on topics such as Iran, North Korea and others that are arming themselves, then I would agree. However, as long as the world cannot get their act together on this important topic, Gorbachev is preaching to the wrong audience. We need to move forward with 'defense' since the 'world body' is not much of a 'body' after all.
The Left spins again! Should read
Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet Union's last leader who ass got kicked by Ronald Reagan that forced his weak ineffectual government to surrender the Cold War, said on Monday.
"Obviously, Gorby should work on containing himself."
Heeeehhe..true, but we can't even contain our own Senators, much less dominate the world...what a joke!
A brand new "Gorbasm" for Rush tomorrow.
We only "dominate" because everyone else sucks. It's not like we're even trying.
Imagine if we did make an effort.
Gerdarme? How crude, we aren't French policemen.
And we are castitigated by many for not invading Iran, N. Korea, Congo, Liberia, Zimbabwe, Syria, you name it.....as if we could. Gorbachev's a bitter old ketchup-splotched head.
From a 17year old, who is a Reagan fan, didn't we walk out of Geneva?
Gorbachev, or any Soviet leader accusing the U.S. of trying to dominate the world is like Hitler accusing someone of trying to take over Europe, or Saddam accusing someone of being undemocratic.
I'm LOL but it hurts.:) Blast McCain, and the MSM horse he rode in on.
I think we should thank old Gorby for the good advice. And do exactly the opposite of what he suggests. Since he & his kind are always 180 degrees out of phase, his comments can be useful. Full speed ahead!
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More Reuters FRogshit!
Mikhail Gorbachev: A marked failure even among the evil empires seven decades and hundreds of millions of bloody failures!
Actually Gorby, you can. And if anyone should know this, it's you.
Reagan set out to so thoroughly domininate the Soviet Union militarily that any attempt to keep pace would place an intolerable strain on the Soviet regime, expediting its collapse.
And it worked brilliantly.
This from a guy who only got 1% when he faced a real election.
Well, he does just follow the map on his forehead.
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