What is at stake now : my appeal for peace and freedom

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Bibliographic Information

What is at stake now : my appeal for peace and freedom

Mikhail Gorbachev ; translated by Jessica Spengler

Polity, c2020

  • : hbk

Other Title

Gorbachev : what is at stake now

Was jetzt auf dem Spiel steht : Mein Aufruf fuer Frieden und Freiheit

Mikhail Gorbachev : what is at stake now : my appeal for peace and freedom

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Note

Originally published in German as Was jetzt auf dem Spiel steht : Mein Aufruf fuer Frieden und Freiheit, Mikhail Gorbachev c2019 by Siedler Verlag, München

Description and Table of Contents

Description

Thirty years after the end of the Cold War, world peace is at risk again. The United States has withdrawn from the disarmament treaty with Russia, Europe is disintegrating, China is surging forward and a wave of nationalism and populism is destabilizing established political institutions and endangering hard-won liberties. Moreover, the coronavirus pandemic has brought into sharp relief the fragility of the global order and the speed with which it can slide into chaos. In view of this dangerous and unpredictable state of affairs, Mikhail Gorbachev, the last great statesman of the 1989 revolution, has written this short book to warn us of the grave risks we now face and to urge us all, political leaders and citizens alike, to take action to address them. He focuses on the big challenges of our time, such as the renewal of the arms race and the growing risks of nuclear war, the new tension between Russia and the West, the global environmental crisis, the global threat of diseases and epidemics, the rise of populism and the decline of democracy. He argues that self-serving policies and narrow-minded politics aimed at the pursuit of national interests are taking the place of political principles and overshadowing the vision of a free and just world for all peoples. He offers his view of where Russia is heading and he urges political leaders in the West to recognize that re-establishing trust between Russia and the West requires the courage of true leadership and a commitment to genuine dialogue and understanding on both sides. Now more than ever, the responses to the great challenges we face cannot be purely national in character but must be based on a collaborative effort in which political leaders put aside their differences and work together to advance the human security of all.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents Preface Part One Our shared security The militarization of world politics Equal security for all: The Charter of Paris Break the vicious cycle! We must act together Part Two Understanding the global world Who benefits from globalization? The environmental challenge The Earth Charter Part Three Ideas and politics The wave of populism and decline of democracy Can politics and morals be reconciled? Part Four Who's who in the global world? The USA: Monopoly leadership or partnership? Europe: Our continent, our home China and India: The new giants The Middle East: Tense hub of world politics The rollback of democracy The responsibility of the media Civil society and international organizations The new Russia Afterword

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