Sequence of events 'on the scale of the fall of the Roman Empire'
The Associated Press
Posted: Nov 08, 2014 10:40 AM ET|
Last Updated: Nov 08, 2014 6:49 PM ET

Tensions between the major powers have pushed the world closer to a new Cold War, former Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev said Saturday.

The 83-year-old accused the West, particularly the United States, of giving in to "triumphalism" after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the dissolution of the communist bloc a quarter century ago. The result, he said, could partly be seen in the inability of global powers to prevent or resolve conflicts in Yugoslavia, the Middle East and most recently Ukraine.

"The world is on the brink of a new Cold War. Some are even saying that it's already begun," Gorbachev said at an event marking the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, close to the city's iconic Brandenburg Gate.

Gorbachev called for trust to be restored through dialogue with Moscow, and suggested the West should lift sanctions imposed against senior Russian officials over the country's support for separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. Failure to achieve security in Europe would make the continent irrelevant in world affairs, he said.

Gorbachev's comments echoed those of Roland Dumas, France's foreign minister at the time the Berlin Wall fell.

"Without freedom between nations, without respect of one nation to another, and without strong and brave disarmament policy, everything could start over again tomorrow," Dumas said. "Even everything we used to know, and what we called the Cold War."

President Barack Obama appeared to share some of Gorbachev's concerns for Europe, though he blamed Moscow for the current tensions.

Paying tribute to the East Berliners who pushed past border guards to flood through the Wall on Nov. 9, 1989, Obama said in a statement Friday that "as Russia's actions against Ukraine remind us, we have more work to do to fully realize our shared vision of a Europe that is whole, free and at peace."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/mikhail-go ... -1.2828775

Gorbachev might enjoy more credibility if he included Putin/Russia in his caustic remarks, rather than giving him/it a pass ~

Sooz

Feel free to refute/disprove any of his remarks.
Meanwhile you might want to look at what Obama stated and compare it to what Gorbachov said... not much difference except where the finger is pointing, eh? Wonder which one is standing in front of a mirror.

The Russian take over of Crimea never happened.
Eastern Ukraine is a peaceful region full of freedom loving folks who have absolutely no contact to Russia.
Putin is a dove.
Gorby is not senile.
Santa is coming soon.

The Russian Murrican take over of Crimea Iraq never happened.
Eastern Ukraine Israel is a peaceful region full of freedom loving folks who have absolutely no contact to Russia Murrica.
Putin Obama is a dove.
Gorby McCain is not senile.
Santa is coming soon. Yeah, he is, and Canada owns him (Stephen Harper)

The names are pretty much interchangeable.

The point is that Russian and USian foreign policy are mirror images of one another and tough shit for anyone caught in the middle.

You're so mean!

Maybe, but am I wrong?

If I say no I'll never get a job in this town again.

P.S. I watched all morning documentations and movies about the former DDR due to the 25th anniversary of the fall of the wall, so please excuse my paranoia.

P.S.2:
And I made a phone call to my mom, so the NSA is probably watching me for the rest of the day.

PS3: I better get back to the thread about semen in Starbucks coffee. Seems harmless enough to avoid the black helicopters.

Tampa Bay Lightning are doing well.

I don't know. I use Light Bulbs Unlimited. They carry the most variety of bulbs and especially hard to find parts.

You're entitled to your opinion, oskar ~ but your knee-jerk hatred for all things American is overwhelming ~

Sooz

See post #3, sooz.
Meanwhile, mission creep has already started.

I wouldn't call it hatred, Sooz.
Us furrinners have sometimes a slightly different view.

It would have been a bit hard to bring Putin into it when the topic was "western triumphalism" sooz. The west, and particularly the US, has been so busy patting itself on the back about how they "won" the cold war that they forgot that Russia was still a major power, one that rivals the US in military might and economic resources, and is going to act like one.

As for their role in the Ukraine, its not very nice, but as Oskar points out, its little different to what the US has been doing pretty much since its inception, and continues to do every day. Its an expansionist empire which believes it has the right to dominate other countries whenever it suits - even supposed allies like Australia.

Why are Assange and Snowden being persecuted while the banksters and fraudsters aren't being prosecuted?