> Published on Saturday, Dec. 30, 2000 in the > International Herald Tribune > -- > Mr. Bush,The World Doesn't Want to Be American > by Mikhail Gorbachev > > MOSCOW - Dear Mr. Bush: > > I am writing to you as a citizen of our planet > and someone who beholds > the last remaining superpower. Can there be any > doubt that the United > States plays a major role in guiding our world? > Only a fool could > disregard that fact. To acknowledge this is a > given, even though > American spokesmen are perhaps somewhat overly > inclined to press the > point home to the rest of the world. > > For while America's role is acknowledged > throughout the world, her claim > to hegemony, not to say domination, is not > similarly recognized. For > this reason, I hope, Mr. Bush, as the new > American president, that you > will give up any illusion that the 21st century > can, or even should, be > the "American Century." Globalization is a given > - but "American > globalization" would be a mistake. In fact, it > would be something devoid > of meaning and even dangerous. > > I would go even further and say it is time for > America's electorate to > be told the blunt truth: that the present > situation of the United > States, with a part of its population able to > enjoy a life of > extraordinary comfort and privilege, is not > tenable as long as an > enormous portion of the world lives in abject > poverty, degradation and > backwardness. > > For 10 years, U.S. foreign policy has been > formulated as if it were the > policy of a victor in war, the Cold War. But at > the highest reaches of > U.S. policy-making no one has grasped the fact > that this could not be > the basis for formulating post-Cold War policy. > > In fact, there has been no "pacification." On the > > contrary, there has > been a heightening of inequalities, tension and > hostility, with most of > the last directed toward the United States. > > Instead of seeing an increase in U.S. security, > the end of the Cold War > has seen a decline. It is not hard to imagine > that, should the United > States persist in its policies, the international > > situation will > continue to deteriorate. > > It is also difficult to believe that, under > present circumstances, > relations between the United States, on the one > hand, and China, India > and all the rest of the earth that lives in > abject poverty, on the > other, could develop in a positive direction. Nor > > is it possible, on the > basis of its present posture, for the United > States to establish > effective, long-term cooperation with its > traditional allies, Europe > first and foremost. > > Already we see numerous trade disputes, evidence > of the conflicting > interests separating the United States and the > European Union. At the > recent conference in The Hague, where the > participants were supposed to > come up with a common policy on limiting > greenhouse effects, U.S. > positions were far removed from those of all > others. As a result, no > decision was taken. This is clearly an example of > > a failure of "world > governance." > > >From the standpoint of the Old World, the > post-Cold War period ushered > in hopes that now are faded. Over the past > decade, the United States has > continued to operate along an ideological track > identical to the one it > followed during the Cold War. > > Need an example? The expansion of NATO eastward, > the handling of the > Yugoslav crisis, the theory and practice of U.S. > rearmament - including > the utterly extravagant national missile defense > system, which, in turn, > is based on the bizarre notion of "rogue states." > > Isn't it amazing that disarmament moved further > during the last phase of > the Cold War than during the period after its > end? And isn't that > because U.S. leadership has been unable to adjust > > to the new European > reality? Europe is now a new, independent and > powerful player on the > world scene. To continue to regard it as a junior > > partner would be a > mistake. > > Europe's experience must serve as a lesson for > future relations, but it > can do so only if America and Europe build a > genuine, equal partnership. > > Finally, it is hardly a secret that relations > between the United States > and Russia have deteriorated over recent years. > Responsibility for this > must be shared between Russia and America. > > The present leadership of Russia appears ready to > > cooperate with the > United States in framing a new agenda for > relations. But it is unclear > what your orientation will be. > > What we heard during the electoral campaign did > not sound encouraging. > If we truly want to build a new world order and > further European unity, > we have to recognize that this will not be > possible without an active > role for Russia. This recognition is the > necessary basis for setting > future Russian-American relations on the right > path. > > The world is complicated, it contains and > expresses a variety of > interests and cultures. Sooner or later, > international policy, including > that of the United States, will have to come to > terms with that variety. > --- > The writer, the last president of the former > Soviet Union, contributed > this comment to the Washington Post. > > Copyright © 2000 the International Herald Tribune > ### > >
