NEWSLINK: “The Lost Alternatives of Mikhail Gorbachev. Thirty years ago, the last Soviet leader gave the world the possibilities of a democratic Russia and (with Ronald Reagan) an end to Cold War and nuclear arms races. Today, it is as though those historical alternatives never existed.” – The Nation/ Stephen Cohen

“… Cohen chose this subject for tonight’s discussion for several reasons. This year marks the 30th anniversary both of Gorbachev’s formal introduction of his democratization policies in the Soviet Union and of the INF Treaty, signed by him and US President Reagan, the first—and still the only—abolition of an entire category of nuclear weapons. In addition, for Cohen, 2017 also marks the anniversary of his first personal meeting with Gorbachev, in Washington in November 1987. Over the years, their relationship has grown into a personal, family friendship, and has included many private discussions about politics, past and present. The most recent discussion, three hours over dinner, took place in late July at a restaurant near Gorbachev’s home, about a 50-minute drive from Moscow. Also present were Cohen’s wife, Katrina vanden Heuvel—publisher and editor of The Nation—and Dmitrii Muratov, editor of the independent Moscow newspaper Novaia Gazeta, of which Gorbachev is a minority owner. …”