Mikhail Gorbachev

Mikhail Gorbachev: That allusion to perestroika immediately raises some uncomfortable questions, according to The Moscow Times. Is the current rise of authoritarianism and the breakdown of basic institutions the logical consequence of Gorbachev reforms, or is it some strange evolutionary offshoot, a careless wrong turn down a historical blind alley Also, how likely is it that the current regime will recognize the need for reforms Will a new "Gorbachev" emerge from President Vladimir Putin "politburo," and if so, will he manage to overcome the inertia of his political milieu Or will the chance for change come only after the collapse of the current regime If so, it will prove only illusory due to the almost inevitable political chaos that will result, the emergence of newly emboldened radicals of every stripe and the centrifugal forces that will tend to tear the system apart. The authors argue that leaders must inevitably restart the reforms first begun by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985 — that is, unless they plan to continue pushing Russia toward the backward and unstable periphery of the modern world. Many in Russia and elsewhere believe that the lyrics to the popular Beatles song "Back in the U.S.S.R." best describe the country current trajectory. Today Russia bears only a superficial resemblance to the Soviet Union, as anyone with memories of that era can readily testify. They are mistaken. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.