Posted on 08/31/2022 7:45:27 AM PDT by ChicagoConservative27
Former Secretary of State James Baker on Tuesday paid tribute to former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who died at 91 earlier in the day, calling the former world leader a “giant who steered his great nation toward democracy.”
In a statement published through his eponymous Institute for Public Policy at Rice University, Baker applauded Gorbachev’s role in ending the 40-year Cold War between Russia and the U.S., referring to him as an “honest broker” who stood by his word despite experiencing pressure from Moscow.
Baker served as the secretary of State in the George H.W. Bush administration from 1989 to 1992, during Gorbachev’s time as leader in Moscow
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
Since when was Russia ever a “Democracy”?
The Soviet Union could no longer afford to exist. And after both Andropov and Chernenko passed away within that short space of time, the communist leadership had no other choice but to bring a reformer like Gorbachev in.
Add in Chernobyl, as well.
Whatever smidgen of Democracy there was, quickly ended after Yelstin. Been a thugocracy ever since.
So many American schmucks giving Gorby credit for bring down the Soviet Union, get a grip it was the one and only Ronald Reagan.
Deng Xiao-ping in China saw the Soviet Union, and specifically decided to go another route. Incremental reform, controlled by the CCP. First, let farmers sell non-quota production by themselves to ease food shortages. Allow private local enterprises to arise. Slowly introduce a concept of private property. All defined and controlled by the CCP
Who?
Russia is a democracy on paper but it is very corrupt and state media is corrupted too.
Sounds a lot like the US doesn’t it?
Gorbachev was a realist. He admitted that the USSR was broken and could not sustain itself and chaos ensued. He could have done what communist regimes have done throughout history and simply cracked down on his people, but he didn’t. For that, I have always had some admiration for him because he put himself at great personal risk doing what he did.
However, much of his “admiration society” in the West was formed from hatred of Ronald Reagan. Reagan deserved to share at least 50% of the credit for the dissolution of the USSR and likely the avoidance of a large war that was inevitable had the USSR continued.
The leftist hatred of President Reagan and the spewed venom of historians about him is a blight on our nation. Reagan was a great man with an inspired vision and belief and he executed that vision despite the opposition of the democrats and backstabbing by the republicrats. Sounds familiar doesn’t it?
Brilliant!
It's no different than "democracy" in places like New York City, Chicago, New Orleans, and a growing number of jurisdictions all across the U.S.
“Whatever smidgen of Democracy there was, quickly ended after Yelstin. Been a thugocracy ever since.”
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Coming soon to a country near you.
Wait, what?
I give Reagan the most credit, definitely believe he deserves 50% of the credit at minimum as I stated above, but I also recognize that it took a lot of courage for Gorbachev to dissolve the USSR.
“Communists” don’t have a tendency to surrender power and elite status according to history. What Gorbachev did put himself and his family at great personal risk.
It isn’t and neither are we. Democracy is mob rule.
Gorbachev was to the end a committed communist who was certain that communism would triumph and lead the world to a golden age.
He was, though, a politician and not an ideologue. A politician recognizes you have to make compromises to get to your goal. He saw the Soviet Union as needing change in order to ultimately triumph.
I am tempted to sneer at his departure from this planet, but I remember that I too shall shortly face my Creator and Judge. I want forgiveness and mercy for me, so I dare not mock him. All men are small before God, and desperately unclean. I understand the “RIP” thing now more than ever.
Rest in Peace Mikhail Gorbachev.... I doubt it, but I hope so anyway.
Give him his due. He was right for the times just like Bush 41 was there when the nukes were dismantled in Eastern Europe.
Although I’m sure that people have said the same thing, my take on it is this: The 1st one to cause a rivet to pop out of the Iron Curtain was Saint JP II. After that it was all up to Margaret ‘Iron Lady’ Thatcher and Ronaldus Magnus.
Agreed. Dicktater Putin ended any pretenses of democracy when he seized power.
So many American schmucks giving Gorby credit for bring down the Soviet Union, get a grip it was the one and only Ronald Reagan.
Reagan and the doctrine of Peace Through Strength conservatism. We must let history and Reagan’s principles guide us.
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