Did you know Gorbachev is alive?

Did you think he died, cicerone?

Here is a current picture - he's 83 years old!

I shrunk down your image.

I realized he was alive about a month ago when there was news of him being in the hospital and then being released. Prior to that, I hadn't thought about him much and could only tell you that his wife had left earth already.

I have known he was alive continuously since about 1985. What is it with some people?

Like Sturgis, I only became aware he was alive from a news article. What's your problem?

I just thought it curious, because many things have happened since he 'disappeared' from public notice.

Thank you, jespah!

He will be in Berlin this week end and take part in the celebration of the Berlin Wall falling 25 years ago.

Ya, I have been tracking him actually. It is an interesting story, on the one hand the elite on duty at the time say that he was a idiot that got taken advantage of by the West, And he says that he trusted too much and believed that the West was good for the promises that it made.

A good look at this is here
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/gorbachev-post-cold-war-west_n_6116654.html

One of those promises is that NATO would not intrude Russia's space, a promise that the Western elite at the time deny they made but it sounds like something they would say to an idiot to get him to do their bidding. The recent advance by Russia into Ukraine has a long history.

I think that history will record that Gorbachev was not a particularly bright man who got psychologically caught up in the collapse of the USSR, he was demoralized, and he got taken advantage of. This is going to be a problem till the Russians get some respect, and I think the way they do it is by throwing in with China and perhaps India as the controllers of global affairs, taking over for the USA and our allies in Europe.

When Putin stares down Merkel and Obama he is sure that he and Russia will win in the end. I dont think that he is wrong.

Gorbachev? At this point all he hopes for is that he gets some credit for something by someone. It could happen.

Now so many years later many Russians in Russia do not like him. They think he destroyed Russia,
The same goes for Russians who live in the West.