[Home] [Headlines] [Latest Articles] [Latest Comments] [Post] [Sign-in] [Mail] [Setup] [Help]
Status: Not Logged In; Sign In
|
War, War, War See other War, War, War Articles Title: Former Soviet Leader Says World Preparing for War Former Soviet Leader Says World Preparing for War by Stephen Lendman Elder statesman, former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev will be age 86 in March. In 2014, he overcame serious health issues, weeks earlier spoke publicly in Moscow, and continues expressing views on major world issues. On January 26, Time magazine published his op-ed, expressing concern about world preparations for war, saying “no problem is more urgent today than the militarization of politics and the new arms race.” “Stopping and reversing this ruinous race must be our top priority.The current situation is too dangerous.” He cited US-led NATO’s provocative buildup along Russia’s borders. Heavy weapons more distant earlier are now at point-blank range. While nations struggle to provide vital social services, military spending keeps increasing, weapons of mass destruction produced. Firepower from nuclear-powered submarines can “devastat(e) half a continent.” “(M)issle defense systems…undermine strategic stability.” Belligerent posturing persists, media scoundrels a go-along echo chamber. “It looks as if the world is preparing for war,” Gorbachev explained, a hugely dangerous situation. In the 1980s, Russia and America cooperated in reducing the threat of nuclear annihilation without compromising the security of either nation. “In November 1985, at the first summit in Geneva, the leaders of the Soviet Union and the US declared: Nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. Our two nations will not seek military superiority. This statement was met with a sigh of relief worldwide.” Russian officials attending a 1986 Politburo meeting agreed nuclear weapons should only be about preventing war. “(T)he ultimate goal should be a world without” these weapons of mass destruction. Things are much different today, Gorbachev warned. Possible nuclear war “once again seems real. Relations between the great powers have been going from bad to worse for several years now.” “The advocates for arms build-up and the military-industrial complex are rubbing their hands.” Today’s environment could become the death throes of a world gone mad. Top priority for global leaders is “preventing war, phasing out the arms race, and reducing weapons arsenals,” Gorbachev stressed. “The goal should be to agree, not just on nuclear weapons levels and ceilings, but also on missile defense and strategic stability.” “In (today’s) world, wars must be outlawed, because none of the global problems we are facing can be resolved by” nations smashing and destroying each other. Security Council members must take the initiative. “I propose that a Security Council meeting at the level of heads of state adopt a resolution stating that nuclear war is unacceptable and must never be fought,” said Gorbachev. “I think the initiative to adopt such a resolution should come from Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin - the Presidents of two nations that hold over 90% of the world’s nuclear arsenals and therefore bear a special responsibility.” If a way isn’t agreed on to eliminate nuclear weapons, they’ll eliminate us. Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III." http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
|
||
|
[Home]
[Headlines]
[Latest Articles]
[Latest Comments]
[Post]
[Sign-in]
[Mail]
[Setup]
[Help]
|
||