A student discussion with former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev was held in the Diplomacy Room in McQuaid Hall immediately following Gorbachev’s lecture.
The lesson was moderated by Clay Constantinou, dean of the School of Diplomacy and International Relations. John C. Whitehead, the school’s namesake and former deputy secretary of state, was present for the talk.
Diplomacy undergraduate and graduate students and Russian professors were allowed to ask Gorbachev questions. Portions of the dialogue is recorded below.
Q: Professor Anna Apostu: “I remember all the changes in the Soviet Union that gave me the freedom to speak, the freedom to travel, the freedom to be my own person. At the same time, there are people who think the Soviet Union should have done things different, especially in Russia. What is your response to this?
A: “Things are difficult now. I think that the overall choice was exactly right, the choice to bring in democracy and openness. A country that had impressive potential and intellect was being suppressed. But even in a democratic society, we have to do things with a certain amount of order. If I had a chance to begin anew, I would have made the same fundamental choice, but we would have made the choices different ways. We would have done some things quicker, some things slower, some more decisively.”
Q: Graduate student Ashley Bander: “Given your interest in the environment, how does environmental scarcity play into the increase of fundamentalism you find across the world, on top of problems such as poverty?”
A: “Generally, I believe that the threat to our environment is the number one challenge to our world today. . . In many parts of the world, people have to make a choice between the environment and food. This should not be the case. The Brazilian government has to cut the rainforest just to have land to feed its people. Only one-third of the world lives in situations acceptable to human beings. Some may say the standards of advanced nations have to come to the more backward nations. Today, you find a different approach. Even with only one-third of people living in developed conditions, we have already done serious damage to our world environment. One solution would be to try and overcome the overconsumption that exists today. I think, with Christian morality and other religious moralities, we can find a way to overcome this.”
Q: Junior Briana Czajka: “In reference to the relationship between the Soviet Union and President Reagan, some said his words were a catalyst for change to bring about a more open form of government in the Soviet Union. Others said he flared tensions between the two nations. What are your thoughts on this?
A: “I regard President Regan as my friend and partner, and I came to Washington to say goodbye to him when he died. Perestroika had enormous accomplishments. We did it because we felt our country had some of the best resources, some of the most intelligent people. That is the only reason we did it, domestic reasons. All the others are just myths. When you study history, you should bear in mind that there are many myths and stereotypes. You should get to the bottom of them.”
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