Former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev will be remembered as a brave leader who ended the Soviet war in Afghanistan and negotiated to end the Cold War. We need more leaders like him and John F Kennedy, former US president.
We sadly live in an era where leaders use brute military force as an instrument of their foreign policy.Wars are raging out of control across the world, as power becomes a weapon of mass destruction.
Gorbachev knew that military conflict was not an option in the nuclear era.He knew that any nuclear conflict could lead to the demise of humanity.
His statements on peace were distinctly clear, "war destroys and disrupts, peace builds and strengthens as well as restores". It was his noble mission to promote peace by expressing its contribution to the long-lasting wellbeing factor of everyone. Gorbachev profoundly understood that peace was essential to control the evils which damage our society.
The leaders of Nato betrayed his quest for peace in Europe after the break-up of the Soviet Union. Had they stuck to the agreements he negotiated, the brutal war in Ukraine would not have taken place.
Gorbachev was a powerful leader who had the ability to shape history, and got the distinction of truly changing the world. He was in essence the Abraham Lincoln of Europe. Throughout history there have been only a handful of people capable of this form of leadership.
Monuments and museums give us an opportunity to learn about the leaders who had a major influence on our world. Gorbachev,quietly changed the map of Europe with his sincere diplomacy. He spoke of peace and the brutal new face of war.
His Glasnost and Perestroika movement saw more than hundred million Europeans attain freedom and independence.
The world has lost a great leader of the 21st century.
Farouk Araie, Actonville, Benoni
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