Mikhail Gorbachev

WITH the demise of Mikhail Gorbachev, the world has lost a towering statesman, an ardent pacifist, a true revolutionary, and a great humanist (“The last leader of the Soviet Union”, September 23).

At a time when the world was divided into two power blocs, Gorbachev preferred consensus over confrontation in both domestic and international arenas. This was both his strength and his weakness, and he will be remembered for the efforts he initiated towards ending the Cold war. It would be inappropriate to shift the entire blame of disintegration of the Soviet Union on Gorbachev, who through his political and economic policies un

shackled an entire generation of people who had been subjugated for decades by his dictatorial predecessors.

When the world today is under threat from terrorism, dictatorship, fascism, neoliberalism, neocolonialism, and imperialism, Gorbachev’s policies and vision are more relevant than ever before.

B. SURESH KUMAR COIMBATORE, TAMIL NADU