World History

Question

Colin Powell once wrote, "Ronald Reagan . . . had the vision and flexibility, lacking in many Cold Warriors, to recognize that Gorbachev was a new man in a new age offering new opportunities for peace." Explain what Powell meant and whether you agree or disagree with his statement.

Answer 1

From the 1960's onward, Ronald Reagan certainly stood as a staunch anti-communist. Reagan's bona fides were impeccable, labeling the U.S.S.R. the "Evil Empire," an obvious allusion to the Star Wars movie franchise, popular then (and now). Leonid Brezhnev, the Communist Party leader was, by implication, a non-fictional Darth Vader.

Yet, Reagan was able to judge Gorbachev objectively and did indeed see that he was a new type of Russian leader. Without going into the specifics of internal Soviet tensions at the time, Gorbachev knew that the Communist experiment was a failure. He could have used force to corral the breakaway countries, such as East Germany and Poland - but chose to let them leave the Eastern Bloc, even allowing for the fall of the Berlin Wall and the unification of Germany (after Reagan famously proclaimed in West Berlin, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." And he did!

As President, Reagan also coined the phrase, "Trust but verify." He placed his trust in Gorbachev, verified that he was a true agent of Russian change and supported him without reservation. In this respect, Colin Powell was correct, a new Soviet leader called for a new response. President Reagan rose to the challenge.