Gorbachev Says U.S. Was Short-sighted on Soviets

[Sgent]

Source: Bloomberg / AP

Moscow (AP) -- As the Soviet Union was breaking up 25 years ago, Mikhail Gorbachev expected the United States and its Western allies to provide vital aid. The former Soviet president thinks their failure to offer significant help wasted a chance to build a safer world and resulted from short-sighted gloating at a Cold War rival's demise.

In a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press, the 85-year-old Gorbachev voiced hope that Russia and the United States would do better and ease current tensions during Donald Trump's presidency.

"The relations between us are so important and concern everyone else, so we must take the interests of others into account," said the leader credited with helping to end the Cold War.

Gorbachev said he had expected Hillary Clinton to win the U.S. presidential race and was surprised by Trump's victory. He declined to offer an assessment of Trump, saying it remains to be seen what policies the new U.S. administration will pursue.



Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-13/ap-interview-gorbachev-says-us-was-short-sighted-on-soviets

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Interesting read. He talks about the breakup of the USSR and how he bowed out to prevent civil war.

[ananda]

1. Gorby, it's very clear that Trump will pursue ..

.. anything Putin wants.

[demon in basement]

14. he alreaddy is

Flynn, now Tillerson.

[CanSocDem]

2. Yeh, me too.

'As the Soviet Union was breaking up 25 years ago, Mikhail Gorbachev expected the United States and its Western allies to provide vital aid.'


The world breathed a sigh of relief when Gorbachev appeared on the world scene to counteract the lunacy of Ronald Reagan. And when he and his wife traveled to Washington, the world was reminded again of the pettiness of the Reagans and the intellectual superiority of the USSR over the USA.

It really did look like a new, peaceful era was at hand. Gorbachev even allowed Reagan his greatest sound bite: "Tear down this wall!!"

And then it was sad but predictable that the USA was all about doing their end-zone dance while Russia fell to the hardliners, in both countries.


.

[former9thward]

7. "the intellectual superiority of the USSR over the USA. "

very funny post. Sad someone actually believes it ....

[CanSocDem]

9. Who is hacking who...???? (eom)

[Dorian Gray]

16. Intellectual superiority of the USSR

over the US?

WHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTT?

The same USSR that forced territories to stay? The same USSR that deported millions of people to Gulags? The same USSR that used violence and threats to sustain power? The same USSR that escalated the nuclear threat?

Geez.

[CanSocDem]

17. Maybe you are 'mis-remembering'.

The USA had a movie actor as its president and a first lady who consulted astrologers and psychics in order to advise her husband.

One of his top cabinet picks (maybe EPA) declared that trees cause pollution. Surrounding himself with MIC operatives, he suppressed a democratic revolution in Central America by labelling the people "terrorists". He supported the right-wing opposition with guns and military support obtained through drug smuggling.

Despite showing signs of Alzheimer's disease, your POTUS was allowed to carry on as if nothing was wrong. His answer to the growing use of cannabis: "Just Say No."

Believe me, the Gorbachev's looked brilliant next to the Reagan's.


.

[Dorian Gray]

20. You said USSR

Gorbachev's were not the totality of the USSR, nor were the Reagans the totality of the USA.

[yurbud]

3. Read THE SHOCK DOCTRINE for the "help" we gave Soviets economically then

Gorbachev wanted to go in the direction of Scandinavian democratic socialism, we made our help contingent on radical privatization to make them a Third World extraction colony, and they ended up with the mobsters/oligarchs on top.

We learned the right lesson from how the Allies treated Germany after World War I and didn't make the same mistake with Germany after World War II, but we forgot it at the end of the Cold War, maybe because we didn't see another enemy that Russia could help us take down.

None of this means that war is inevitable. Putin still has one-sixth the military we do and no capability to take and hold land beyond his immediate neighbors where as we have been expanding NATO and fomenting coups right up to his doorstep.

[Grins]

4. Jebus is this coming home on us.

I remember reading sometime in the early 90's that the fall of the USSR was not yet a victory for the west because we failed to follow-up and lock in the 'victory". Instead, the GOP danced in the streets screaming "The cold war is over - We won! We won!"

Bush I and Co. did not want to spend another penny because of the costs and they were stumbling over yet another jump in deficits and debt, and this was another chance for - tax cuts! Simple little things like making sure the babushkas (grandmothers) of working Russians had food, shelter, heat, etc. would have paid off ten-thousand-fold. Little is more important to a Russian than his babushka. They would have been in our debt for decades.

We didn't so shit. We did worse. (Reading the comment about "Shock Doctrine.)

And here we are, almost 25-years later.....

[INdemo]

5. That was a safe statement from him but I also see a statement of him Gloating

that Trump won..He still a Soviet Russian and he is loving this downfall of America and with Trump our Democracy is on a free fall.

For whatever Reagan did or didnt do ..giving aid to the Soviets as they fell was not in the cards

[Bernardo de La Paz]

6. At that time tRump said the Soviets were not cracking down hard enough on Democracy protesters. . nt

[Xolodno]

8. The goal was to keep Russia weak and corrupt enough...

...that it was unmanageable.

When the Parliament rebelled against an increasingly authoritarian Yeltsin, we through our hat in with the drunkard, Yeltsin. Oh and mind you, Yeltsin's order to dissolve the parliament was illegal.

He then handed power over to a non-descript, unassuming and by many in the west presumed timid Prime Minister. Whom many thought would keep the trains running on time while Oligarch's and corrupt western benefactors did business as usual.

That timid, unassuming and viewed as easy guy to bully would go on to use the very precedents, corruption, etc. that was there to keep Russia unmanageable, to consolidate power, push out the oligarch's and any remaining democratic opposition, that man known as Vladmir Putin. Oops.

[StevieM]

10. I enjoyed reading your post but unfortunately there is something very wrong with me.

I cannot stop myself from letting you know that you accidentally misplaced a homonym.

In your second paragraph you wrote "through" when you meant to say "threw."

Editing your post is an option. Perhaps it would bring great joy to the entire world.

Please forgive me my abnormal inclinations.

[Rstrstx]

15. Is their inny recent four that tie puff response?

I cant sea wear this helps inny, a moor pole light an sir wood dew justice well. Pleas bee nice sir then that two hem.

[StevieM]

18. LOL, thank you for your contribution to this matter. I enjoyed your post.

I think I have the post translated: "Is there any reason for that stupid response? I can't see where this helps any, a more polite answer would do just as well. Please be nicer than that to him."

I am not positive about "stupid" in the first sentence, but that appeared to be the most likely candidate.

Seriously, I think if you re-read my post you will see that I was trying to be nice. I placed the onus on myself for being a weirdo who couldn't resist identifying a misplaced homonym.

[Yupster]

11. He seems to know how far he can go in criticizing Putin

As far as the US helping while the USSR collapsed. I don't think that was realistic.

If we helped one side or the other they'd be discredited.

[Archae]

12. Does he he still claim the Korean airliner was a spy plane?

He said that some years ago.

[JI7]

13. there should have been a marhsall plan to deal with the end of the cold war

this would include places like afghanistan and others where the war played out.

i think we could have avoided a l ot of the problems we still deal with today.

[moondust]

19. "Vital aid" to a vast oil-rich country

with huge natural resources, a space program, and a large standing military? Poor things.