When we look at the life of Mikhail Gorbachev, the former general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, what we see is a man who was the inverse of Ronald Reagan and many of today's Republicans. For while Gorbachev's tenure as leader of the Soviet Union started from an authoritarian beginning and proceeded to break with that authoritarianism, Reagan's presidency started started from a non-authoritarian beginning and went in the opposite direction and helped the US head toward the authoritarianism we see today.
Now it's not that Gorbachev's time as leader of the Soviet Union was without faults. But where he differs from many American politicians today is that he can recognize merits in dissent expressed by others. An example of that can be seen in his support for globalism and his appreciation for the criticisms of globalism.
In his book The New Russia, he tells us about Putin's use of false narratives about his political opponents in order to use fear to coerce people into voting for him. And this is an important point because most of our major party candidates use similar false narratives about their campaign counterparts in order to coerce people into voting for them. Gorbachev rejects the use of such false narratives.
In addition, we should lookup the significance of both Glasnost and Peristroika, two programs Gorbachev brought to the Soviet Union. Glasnost, which means openness and Peristroika saw the decentralization of politics and the economy in the Soviet Union, allowed for the beginning of a short-lived freedom in Russia. Both were short-lived because, as some have pointed out, the leaders who lent money to Russia following the breakup of the Soviet Union did so on the condition that Gorbachev had to step down because they wanted a leader who would put into place a neoliberal economic system. And while Gorbachev understood the need to decentralize the then Soviet Union's political and economic systems, he sees the dangers of neoliberalism.
Here, we should note the positive correlation, one that is seemingly counterintuitive, between neoliberal economics with its demand for economic freedom with political authoritarianism. The correlation is there whether one wants to look at the coups during the 1970s in both Chilé and Argentina that produced military dictatorships both of which introduce neoliberal capitalism to their respective countries to Reagan's attacks on unions here. And whether it was through Obama's attempts to fast-track the the TPP, or Trump's efforts to eliminate regulations that protect the environment and workers' rights, we see different forms of authoritarianism growing where economic neoliberalism is supported.
Unlike the current President of the US, Gorbachev understands the need for eliminating WMDs. He also recognizes the need for the world to address the growing environmental problems and crisis. He sees the need for Russia to increase citizen participation in its government and to utilize multiple political parties. He, unlike our current Republican Party, does not reduce their view of the world to that of commerce. Here, we should note the Manfred Max-Neef's criticisms of how economics is taught and practiced in the US. Max-Neef has said that while the roots of the word 'economics' points to a complex overview of all that is involved in the economy, today's approach reduces the subject of economics to the study of commerce.
Gorbachev has some faults. For example, while he correctly criticizes Stalin for his brutal authoritarianism, he seems to like Lenin. In reality, Lenin is a Stalin-lite while Stalin is a Lenin on steroids. But Gorbachev empathizes with Lenin's use of power since Gorbachev himself had to be a little heavy-handed in how he dealt with those in the Communist Party as he got his reforms through. In addition, there was his part in the Soviet Union's war on Afghanistan. And there was his initial support for Putin.
In short, Gorbachev is a complex man because the world with which he interacts is complex. Yes, he was a political leader who pushed across political and economic reforms, but his humanity is a driving force in the causes and ideas he supports. His humanity is what allows him to avoid looking at people as political or financial objects that are disposable. That quality alone puts him above most of America's politicians. And though The Constitution does prohibit Gorbachev from serving as the President of the United States, he becomes a model by which we should judge all politicians who are running not just for the Presidency, but for all public offices.
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