Mikhail Gorbachev: 'It All Looks as if the World Is Preparing for War'
Jan 26, 2017
Ideas
Mikhail Gorbachev was the president of the Soviet Union and is the author of The New Russia.
The world today is overwhelmed with problems. Policymakers seem to be confused and at a loss.
But no problem is more urgent today than the militarization of politics and the new arms race. Stopping and reversing this ruinous race must be our top priority.
The current situation is too dangerous.
More troops, tanks and armored personnel carriers are being brought to Europe. NATO and Russian forces and weapons that used to be deployed at a distance are now placed closer to each other, as if to shoot point-blank.
While
state budgets are struggling to fund people’s essential social needs,
military spending is growing. Money is easily found for sophisticated
weapons whose destructive power is comparable to that of the weapons of
mass destruction; for submarines whose single salvo is capable of
devastating half a continent; for missile defense systems that undermine
strategic stability.
Politicians
and military leaders sound increasingly belligerent and defense
doctrines more dangerous. Commentators and TV personalities are joining
the bellicose chorus. It all looks as if the world is preparing for war.
It could have been different
In
the second half of the 1980s, together with the U.S., we launched a
process of reducing nuclear weapons and lowering the nuclear threat. By
now, as Russia and the U.S. reported to the Non-proliferation Treaty
Review Conference, 80% of the nuclear weapons accumulated during the
years of the Cold War have been decommissioned and destroyed. No one’s
security has been diminished, and the danger of nuclear war starting as a
result of technical failure or accident has been reduced.
This was made possible, above all, by the awareness of the leaders of major nuclear powers that nuclear war is unacceptable.
In November 1985,
at the first summit in Geneva, the leaders of the Soviet Union and the
U.S. declared: Nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. Our
two nations will not seek military superiority. This statement was met
with a sigh of relief worldwide.
I recall a Politburo
meeting in 1986 at which the defense doctrine was discussed. The
proposed draft contained the following language: "Respond to attack with
all available means." Members of the politburo objected to this
formula. All agreed that nuclear weapons must serve only one purpose:
preventing war. And the ultimate goal should be a world without nuclear
weapons.
Breaking out of the vicious circle
Today,
however, the nuclear threat once again seems real. Relations between
the great powers have been going from bad to worse for several years
now. The advocates for arms build-up and the military-industrial complex
are rubbing their hands.
We must break out of this situation. We need to resume political dialogue aiming at joint decisions and joint action.
There
is a view that the dialogue should focus on fighting terrorism. This is
indeed an important, urgent task. But, as a core of a normal
relationship and eventually partnership, it is not enough.
The
focus should once again be on preventing war, phasing out the arms
race, and reducing weapons arsenals. The goal should be to agree, not
just on nuclear weapons levels and ceilings, but also on missile defense
and strategic stability.
In
modern world, wars must be outlawed, because none of the global
problems we are facing can be resolved by war — not poverty, nor the
environment, migration, population growth, or shortages of resources.
Take the first step
I urge the members of the U.N. Security Council — the body that bears primary responsibility for international peace and security —
to take the first step. Specifically, I propose that a Security Council
meeting at the level of heads of state adopt a resolution stating that
nuclear war is unacceptable and must never be fought.
I think the initiative to adopt such a resolution should come from Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin — the Presidents of two nations that hold over 90% of the world’s nuclear arsenals and therefore bear a special responsibility.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt
once said that one of the main freedoms is freedom from fear. Today,
the burden of fear and the stress of bearing it is felt by millions of
people, and the main reason for it is militarism, armed conflicts, the
arms race, and the nuclear Sword of Damocles. Ridding the world of this
fear means making people freer. This should become a common goal. Many
other problems would then be easier to resolve.
The time to decide and act is now.
TIME Ideas hosts the world's leading voices, providing commentary on events in news, society, and culture. We welcome outside contributions. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of TIME editors
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