Letters | Is Gorbachev’s greatest legacy making the US the world’s only superpower?
- Readers debate the mixed legacy of the late Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who ended the Cold War and paved the way for the US-led international order, and discuss why the same-sex marriage movement should go nice and slow in Singapore
Was Gorbachev’s “policy reform” really about ending the struggle between liberal democracy and communist socialism? I doubt it. At the time, the Soviet Union’s economy was badly hurt by its nuclear arms race with the United States, causing its people to suffer. Instead of ending the Cold War for the sake of the global community, perestroika and glasnost were more of a forced move by Gorbachev to save his people from economic suffering.
With the Soviet Union’s collapse, the US became the world’s only superpower. The US has since gone on to exert a strong hegemony on global political, economic and social development. Liberal democracy based on capitalism became the ideal political economic system followed by most countries around the globe, with those opposing this either sanctioned or condemned. It was only until the rise of China that this structure of hegemony began to change.
Liberal democracy based on capitalism was never an ideal system. Though I value freedom and democracy, capitalistic ideals inhibit both these values as the capitalistic ruling class exerts a hegemony over the working class. Where is the freedom and democracy in this?
Gorbachev’s perestroika and glasnost ended Russians’ struggles to make a living in the 1990s, and possibly avoided a nuclear annihilation, but it paved the way for the US and its Western allies to force their ideologies onto the whole world.
Many see Gorbachev as the key person in the ending of the Cold War, but I see him as the key person in the creation of this new world order dominated by the West.
Lew Guan Xi, Selangor, Malaysia
Gorbachev’s legacy was in preaching the peace
Humanity will remember Gorbachev as a brave leader who ended the Soviet war in Afghanistan and negotiated an end to the deadly Cold War. We need more leaders like him and John F. Kennedy.
Sadly, we live in an era where leaders use military force as an instrument of foreign policy. Conflicts 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 mission to promote peace by talking about its contribution to the long-lasting well-being of everyone’s lives. He profoundly understood that peace was essential to control the evils that damage society.
But Nato leaders betrayed his quest for peace in Europe after the break-up of the Soviet Union. Had they stuck to the spirit of the agreements he negotiated, the brutal war in Ukraine would not have taken place. Former Soviet countries must remember that they obtained their freedom because Gorbachev chose to dissolve the union.
Gorbachev quietly changed the map of Europe with his sincere diplomacy. His profound analysis of war and peace will be his legacy to humanity. His glasnost and perestroika movement saw over 100 million Europeans attain freedom and independence. The world has lost a great leader.
Farouk Araie, Johannesburg, South Africa
Same-sex marriage in Singapore? Give people time
LGBT groups believe this will further deepen discrimination in society, and for some, same-sex marriage remains a key goal, as many policies in Singapore privilege family units. Without legal recognition of their union, same-sex couples will be excluded and disadvantaged in many aspects.
I believe rights should apply to everyone, and sexual orientation and gender identity are integral aspects of who we are and should not lead to discrimination or abuse, regardless of the gender we feel attracted to or identify with. Thus it is reasonable for LGBT groups to be discontented with the latest change. There is still much that remains to be done to end discrimination against LGBT people.
However, I think the only way is to wait for the public to be accepting and gradually eliminate prejudice. Social progress will come with time. More haste, less speed. A hard push may have the opposite effect of making the general public more defensive and unwilling to change. Meanwhile, education and awareness raising is important.
Wing Lee, Tseung Kwan O
