Wow. There are really a lot of interesting issues covered in this short article. The writer argues that Russia and South Africa would be worse off today without the wise actions of their former rulers. Do you agree? Do "good losers" deserve more honor than they get? Does loosening the reins in a reform often lead to a regime change? Is a gradual change better than a radical one?
Both figures are celebrating birthdays, and Gorbachev has created a prize for those who change the world like he has. (You can follow the link below to read more about it.) How much credit do you think Gorbachev (or de Klerk for that matter) deserves for making these changes possible?
Firstly in my opinion, Gorbachev is still a well known political figure in Russia. He is not very celebrated but that does not mean he is long forgotten. He still publicly speaks and he is of some importance in Russia. His recent appearance on TV where he was speaking about Russian politics only proves that his words are still valued in his country.
ReplyDeleteOn the matter of tyrants, when a tyrant or a dictator sees that the autocracy which is in his hands is no longer stable then he has three options. Either he escapes from country and enjoys the rest of his life in an exile or he changes the system of his country, and also his intentions. I have said that he/she has three options but I have mentioned only two. The last option is to wait until the people decide to revolutionaries and he/she may end up hanging from a guillotine. Therefore, the two above are more rational in sense, even though there are some examples of dictators who ignored the early signs of a country disruption. Indeed, a very good and recent example can be Colonel Quadafi, who had ruled in his country for 30 years, and now we can see the consequences of dictatorship regime. Conversely, Gorbachev was the other type, and I would say wiser. He chose the way of reforms and he made a hero of himself and his current life is not that bad too. He does not live in big villa on a small island, but I think that his wealth is sufficient to have a luxury life. Therefore, it is really no surprise that wise autocratic leaders change their country into liberal state and gain the glory. I think only insane or stupid leader would let happen the other options.
There are also dictators who live in an exile, for example Jean-Claude Duvalier who was a dictator on Haiti, and he was overthrown by public riots in 1980’. He was lucky that he escaped. It is true that he can now enjoy the Swiss bank savings but he will remain cursed by millions of people, and his reputation will be terrible forever.
In other words, I think that Gorbacev and Clark were very intelligent people. They knew what is going to happen and they have decided that the peaceful swift of regime is the best choice. It would be much easier if all dictators were so rational like these two and not blindly obsessed with their power. Therefore, the title of the article ‘What the world needs now is more losers like these guys’ is adequate and I agree with it.
Mojmir