Mikhail Sergeyerich Gorbachev turned 80 three days ago. He will go down in history as the man who presided over the liquidation of the USSR in 1991. The consequences of that demographic and political earthquake have yet to be fully played out! One major fall out was the disappearance of an alternative point of view on global issues. Gorbachev also erred by giving political transformation priority over economic reform. China did precisely the opposite and succeeded.
This is good occasion to recall the Gorbachev-Rajiv Gandhi relationship. Rajiv Gandhi became prime minister in October 1984. Gorbachev was “elected” general secretary of the Communist party of the USSR in March 1985. in his “memories” Gorbachev has recalled his two visits to India, 1986 and 1988 at some length. With the Indian prime minister he established “a warm personal rapport”. His words of praise for Rajiv deserves repetition. “I was deeply impressed by the way he organically combined the profound philosophic tradition of India and the East with a perfect knowledge and comprehension of European culture. He had great personal charm and was endowed with many human virtues. Rajiv was devoted to the cause of his grandfather, Jawaharlal Nehru, and his mother, Indira Gandhi — his life’s aim was the renaissance of India”.
I was, as minister of state, associated with both of Gorbachev visits. The 1986 visit was of particular significance. The Delhi Declaration was signed by the two leaders on 27 November, 1986. It was in some ways an extraordinary document. Gorbachev made an ideological turn about. He jettisoned/rejected the deterministic rigidity of Marx’s vision of history by putting his signatures on a declaration that celebrated non-violence. Both sides spent hours to reach agreement on the text. The declaration is now all but forgotten. It was a novel pronouncement. I shall quote several striking parts of it.
1. In the nuclear age, mankind must develop a new political thinking and a new concept of the world that provides sound guarantees for the survival of mankind
2. The world we have inherited belongs to present and future generations alike — hence we must give priority to universal human values
3. Human life must be acknowledged the supreme value
More From This Section
4. Non-violence must become the basis of human co-existence
The most startling inclusion was the reference to non-violence. Here was the general secretary of the Communist Party of the USSR publicly subscribing to the Gandhian gospel of non-violence. No communist leader had done so. Gorbachev broke new ground, which needed both courage and imagination.
The 1988 visit though important, provoked less enthusiastic interest. Two issues that were discussed I remember well. One related to China and the other to Afghanistan. Both leaders agreed that it was “essential to avoid creating the impression that the Indo-Russian rapprochement could be directed against the Chinese.”
Gorbachev informed Rajiv Gandhi that Soviet military forces would soon be withdrawn from Afghanistan. Knowing the consequences of this decision, I told a senior member of the Gorbachev delegation to “hasten slowly”. Soviet withdrawal was as disastrous as was their intervention.
The past forty years have been unkind to Gorbachev. He has some admirers outside Russia but few inside. Hundreds of thousands curse him, others are indifferent. From time to time, he writes for the International Herald Tribune and runs the Gorbachev Foundation. He has time on his hand and full of memories. He is in some ways the pall bearer of the corpse of Soviet communism.
The focal point of history at the moment is North Africa. Muammar al-Gaddafi, is a wolf in wolf’s clothing. He is not a quitter. That means more horrors are in store for Libyans. Our nationals are at the receiving end. Only a few thousand have been brought home. Why cannot our government ensure that all eighteen thousand get back to India as soon as possible?
The focal point of history can shift. I, for one, thought that Oman would be untouched. The country has good record of benign tolerance. It is the only Arab country, which permitted its Hindu community to build a temple. The mystery of the Arab revolt is that no leader has emerged in any country. What instrumentality will emerge to run these countries now that at least three dictators have been overthrown? The real challenges are now surfacing. Who is to meet and overcome these challenges in a creative and orderly manner? The people!! Will the people lead the people? Is the destination in sight or is it a receding one?
Tailpiece: Alexander M Kadakin is the Russian Federation’s ambassador to India. He first came to this country over thirty years ago to learn Hindi, a language he speaks fluently. This is his second term as ambassador. His knowledge and understanding of India is deep and profound. More importantly, he is a genuine friend of India that is Bharat. We, on our part, must further broaden and strengthen our relations with Russia. More needs to be done.