Mikhail Gorbachev at the European Parliament in 2008. (Photo: @European Parliament/Pietro Naj-Oleari/flickr/cc)
Gorbachev: US 'Triumphalism' Fueling New Cold War
Former Soviet leader: 'We need to return to the starting line when we began building a new world'
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has said the United States is the cause of emerging signs of a new Cold War as a result of the country's sense of "triumphalism."
The 83-year-old made the comments Monday in an interview with the Russian state-owned news agency TASS.
"Now the signs of cold war have again emerged," he said. "Fences are being built around us."
"I don't want to praise our government too much," the UK's Telegraph quotes Gorbachev as saying in the interview. "It has also made quite a few errors, but today the danger comes from the American position. They are tortured by triumphalism."
"This whole process may and needs to be stopped. It was stopped in the 1980s. And we opted for deescalation and reunification. Back then it was harsher than today. And now we can also do this," Gorbachev said.
"We need to return to the starting line when we began building a new world in Europe and everywhere," he said, referring to his historic 1989 meeting in Malta with President George H. W. Bush.
"There will be people who have the courage to stop this [new Cold War] and start building a new world order that would answer the challenges that the world community is facing," he said.
Gorbachev's comments come as the latest ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia appears to have failed. Ongoing violence has killed over 4,000 people since the conflict erupted in April.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. The final deadline for our crucial Summer Campaign fundraising drive is just days away, and we’re falling short of our must-hit goal. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has said the United States is the cause of emerging signs of a new Cold War as a result of the country's sense of "triumphalism."
The 83-year-old made the comments Monday in an interview with the Russian state-owned news agency TASS.
"Now the signs of cold war have again emerged," he said. "Fences are being built around us."
"I don't want to praise our government too much," the UK's Telegraph quotes Gorbachev as saying in the interview. "It has also made quite a few errors, but today the danger comes from the American position. They are tortured by triumphalism."
"This whole process may and needs to be stopped. It was stopped in the 1980s. And we opted for deescalation and reunification. Back then it was harsher than today. And now we can also do this," Gorbachev said.
"We need to return to the starting line when we began building a new world in Europe and everywhere," he said, referring to his historic 1989 meeting in Malta with President George H. W. Bush.
"There will be people who have the courage to stop this [new Cold War] and start building a new world order that would answer the challenges that the world community is facing," he said.
Gorbachev's comments come as the latest ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia appears to have failed. Ongoing violence has killed over 4,000 people since the conflict erupted in April.
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has said the United States is the cause of emerging signs of a new Cold War as a result of the country's sense of "triumphalism."
The 83-year-old made the comments Monday in an interview with the Russian state-owned news agency TASS.
"Now the signs of cold war have again emerged," he said. "Fences are being built around us."
"I don't want to praise our government too much," the UK's Telegraph quotes Gorbachev as saying in the interview. "It has also made quite a few errors, but today the danger comes from the American position. They are tortured by triumphalism."
"This whole process may and needs to be stopped. It was stopped in the 1980s. And we opted for deescalation and reunification. Back then it was harsher than today. And now we can also do this," Gorbachev said.
"We need to return to the starting line when we began building a new world in Europe and everywhere," he said, referring to his historic 1989 meeting in Malta with President George H. W. Bush.
"There will be people who have the courage to stop this [new Cold War] and start building a new world order that would answer the challenges that the world community is facing," he said.
Gorbachev's comments come as the latest ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia appears to have failed. Ongoing violence has killed over 4,000 people since the conflict erupted in April.