It's quiz time! Nov 13, 2009
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Question 7. (BBC News)
Advocating 'profound democratic reform' Nov 12, 2009
By Mikhail Gorbachev - Athens Banner-Herald ... Mikhail Gorbachev, leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to '91 and 1990 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, is president of the World Political Forum. (Athens Banner-Herald)
More than a wall came down Nov 12, 2009
Mikhail Gorbachev still turns a decent quid on the lunchtime lecture circuit pimping up his contribution. And his contribution was considerable. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
So much gained, so much to lose Nov 12, 2009
Mikhail Gorbachev deserves credit for allowing so many serfs to escape so peacefully; but the Soviet Union crumbled because it could not produce the goods. And even if the current round of globalisation technically began before the wall fell, it was spurred on by it. (The Economist)
Thousands recall fear and freedom of heady first hours after wall fell Nov 11, 2009
Crowds who thronged the graffiti-covered iron bridge at Bornholmer Strasse in north-east Berlin, some of them hanging from its girders, shouted ''Gorby, Gorby'', as they had on November 9, 1989, in recognition of the role of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union. Mr Gorbachev was there, accompanied by Lech Walesa, the former leader of the Solidarity opposition movement in Poland, and then Polish president. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
20 years after fall of Berlin Wall, it is time for reflection Nov 11, 2009
Mikhail Gorbachev, leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991 and 1990 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, is president of the World Political Forum. This piece was distributed by the IPS Columnist Service and Progressive Media Project. (Juneau Empire)
Fall of the wall Nov 11, 2009
Chancellor Angela Merkel and 78-year-old former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev stood shoulder to shoulder as they crossed a former fortified border crossing point between East and West Berlin to cheers of "Gorby! Gorby!" "Looking back, we can see many causes that led to the peaceful revolution, but it still remains a miracle," German President Horst Koehler told the leaders of all 27 European Union countries, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.... (The Palm Beach Post)
Top Article: From Berlin To Bengal Nov 10, 2009
In a recent interview to a television channel, Mikhail Gorbachev - the architect of social and economic reforms in the Soviet Union which ultimately led to the end of the Cold War and paved the way for the fall of communism in Europe - felt parties should not be in power for too long. In a reference to Vladimir Putin's statement that his party would come back to power for a second term, Gorbachev hinted that he would be very unhappy if that were to happen. Concentration of power in the hands of... (India Times, India)
Germans celebrate 20 years of Berlin Wall collapse Nov 10, 2009
BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel today thanked former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev for allowing the Berlin Wall to collapse, as she visited a former border crossing between the once divided Germanies, and what was once a border gate, marking 20 years of reunification ... German Chancellor Angela Merkel thanked former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev for allowing the Berlin Wall to collapse, as she visited a former border crossing between the once divided Germanies. (India Times, India)
Gorbachev, Thatcher, Bush, and Mitterrand remember 1989 Nov 10, 2009
Mikhail Gorbachev, Margaret Thatcher, George H.W. Bush, and Francois Mitterrand give their account of 1989 ... In February 1995, President George H.W. Bush and the Forum for International Policy invited British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, and French president Francois Mitterrand to Colorado's Broadmoor Hotel for a reminiscence of their decisions and doubts concerning the fall of the Berlin Wall and the unification of Germany ... I felt very emotional, but... (Christian Science Monitor)
After the Wall Tumbled Nov 10, 2009
Here in Berlin, there are conferences, books, and dignitaries in abundance: Everyone who is anyone is in town, from Mikhail Gorbachev to Hillary Clinton, and plenty of kitsch is in evidence, as well. A Berlin culture committee has set up a "long line of oversize dominoes"painted in graffiti-style designsthat will be knocked down, "the power of people to bring change." Traffic doesn't pose the cosmic problem in Berlin that it does in Los Angeles, so this event was scheduled to take place... (Slate)
Funeral in Berlin of freedom Nov 10, 2009
Marching with Merkel were Nicolas Sarkozy, whose government has adhered to the Lisbon Treaty after its repudiation by the French electorate; Gordon Brown, who refused to allow Britain any say at all; and Mikhail Gorbachev, creator of the comedy twins Glasnost and Perestroika, in a vain attempt as First Secretary of the freedom-loving Communist Party of the Soviet Union to shore up his collapsing empire now hailed as an icon of democracy. He is that, all right, since democracy has... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
After the Soviet collapse: A globe redrawn Nov 10, 2009
Even without the fall of the Berlin Wall, and under Mikhail Gorbachev s new management, the Soviet Union would have struggled in vain (Russia struggles still) to adapt this behemoth to the information age and the microchip. Abroad, the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, Comecon, a trading block melded from the Soviet Union, seven European satellites, Mongolia, Cuba and eventually Vietnam, functioned only with massive Soviet subsidy and in worthless soft currencies. (The Economist)
Eureka college celebrates 20 years since Berlin Wall fell Nov 10, 2009
The celebration was for Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, who set aside "what divided them to break down a wall that divided a nation" and eventually ended the Cold War, Fowlkes said. Eureka students carried flags representing 24 countries, from the Republic of Albania to Ukraine, which became democracies at the end of the Cold War. (The Pantagraph newspaper)
Germany Marks the Fall of the Berlin Wall Nov 10, 2009
"Eighty-four percent (84%) of voters also identified President Ronald Reagan as the man who famously declared, ?Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.? Reagan?s challenge to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev was issued on June 12, 1987, but it wasn?t until November 9, 1989, that the East German government announced that the border was open, effectively ?tearing down? the wall. Celebrating Germans on both sides then began physically tearing down the barrier. The communist Soviet Union itself lasted... (CBS News)
Official ceremonies Nov 10, 2009
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, left, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, center, and former Polish President Lech Walesa, right,at the Bornholmer bridge in (Eckehard Schulz / AP). German Chancellor Angela Merkel, center, and former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev cross the Bornholmer bridge in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Nov. 9, 2009, (Herbert Knosowski / AP) ... It was the finale to a day of memorial services, speeches and events that attracted leaders from around the world, including former... (Albany Times Union)
Joyful Germans mark the fall of Berlin Wall Nov 10, 2009
On a misty, dark afternoon, two onetime antagonists - Mikhail Gorbachev, the former Soviet leader, and Lech Walesa, founder of Poland s liberty-seeking Solidarity movement - walked across the Bornholmer Street bridge, which was the first checkpoint along the Berlin Wall to throw open its gates Nov. 9, 1989. You made this possible, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told the 78-year-old ex-Soviet premier, as tens of thousands of onlookers chanted, Gorby. (Boston Globe)
Gorbachev Hailed for Fall of Berlin Wall Nov 10, 2009
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, center, and former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev cross the Bornholmer Bruecke, Bornholm bridge in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Nov. 9, 2009, during the commemorations of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on Nov.9, 1989 ... From left, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former Polish President Lech Walesa hold a black and white picture showing cars and people at the border crossing after the Fall of the... (CBS News -- World)
In quotes: Twenty years on Nov 10, 2009
FORMER SOVIET LEADER MIKHAIL GORBACHEV. My clairvoyant skills and those of (former German Chancellor Helmut) Kohl were up to nothing then. (BBC News -- Europe)
Mixed feelings Nov 10, 2009
The fall of Mikhail Gorbachev's USSR followed that of the Berlin Wall ... Dr Yurgens mentioned several times a promise given to former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev by West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl "in the presence of President Bush senior" that Nato would not expand beyond its then limits if Soviet forces left East Germany. (BBC News -- Europe)
Video: Reagan's 'Tear Down This Wall' Berlin Speech Nov 10, 2009
Reagan upped the ante of that statement of solidarity on June 12, 1987, when he threw down the gauntlet to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev during his speech in front of the Brandenburg Gate, the main dividing marker between the Berlins. "We welcome change and openness; for we believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace. There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance... (Newsmax)
Leaders' call to action in Berlin Nov 10, 2009
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, ex-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, former Polish President Lech Walesa and ex-Hungarian Prime Minister Miklos Nemeth were also among leaders, past and present, who attended ... 13 Aug 1961: East Germany erects the Berlin Wall Aug-Sep 1989: Tens of thousands of East Germans seek asylum abroad as communist control over Eastern Europe relaxes 7 Oct: Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev indirectly calls for reform on a visit to East Berlin 18 Oct 1989: Egon Krenz... (BBC News -- Europe)
Leaders urge new push for unity on Berlin Wall anniversary Nov 10, 2009
" onclick="Next();" src="/images/butt_next. " In a surprise video address beamed into the ceremonies, US President Barack Obama said he still took inspiration from the courage of East Germans who stood up against their oppressive regime. "Few would have foreseen. (Channelnewsasia.com)
Berliners celebrate, recall joy 20 years after the wall came down Nov 10, 2009
BERLIN Chancellor Angela Merkel thanked former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev for making change possible in East Germany as she visited what was once a fortified border crossing today retracing her steps on the night 20 years ago the Berlin Wall fell. The Bornholmer Strasse bridge was the first crossing to open on Nov. 9, 1989 following a confused announcement that East Germany was lifting travel restrictions a pivotal moment in the collapse of communism in Europe. (Honolulu Advertiser)
Gorbachev Hailed at Berlin Wall Anniversary Nov 10, 2009
Tens of thousands showed up at the site of the today to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the infamous wall's destruction and cheer former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev for his role in the wall's collapse. A look at Gorbachev's final hours in office. (ABC News)
The Berlin Wall: An enduring memory of a dark period Nov 10, 2009
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, together with Mikhail Gorbachev, then-leader of the Soviet Union in 1989, Lech Walesa, former chairman of the Solidarity movement in Poland, and many witnesses of the collapse of the Berlin Wall, will pass across the bridge ... Mikhail Gorbachev, 54, becomes leader of the Soviet Union and embarks on a course of cautious reforms. (Xinhuanet, China)
NYT: Legacy of 89 is still up for debate Nov 10, 2009
Former Sovietpresident of Mikhail Gorbachev, former U.S. secretary of state Henry Kissinger and former German foreign minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher visit apiece of the Berlin Wall on Sunday ... That view has largely eclipsed another American perspective, which was that globalization and democratization were so powerful that a Mikhail Gorbachev was inevitable, and that the cold war ended through soft power propaganda, diplomacy and the Helsinki accords. (MSNBC -- International)
Europe's Wall Of Ingratitude Nov 10, 2009
You made this possible," gushed East German-born Chancellor Angela Merkel to ex-Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev on Monday, as the two shared an umbrella in the drizzle where the wall separating East and West Berlin once stood. "You courageously let things happen, and that was much more than we could expect. " There is another umbrella that Europeans share have shared for more than six decades, in fact and that is America's defense umbrella. NATO's protection of Europe from Gorbachev's... (Investors Business Daily)
* The miracle of reunified Berlin is a challenge to all walls Nov 10, 2009
Above all, Mikhail Gorbachev will remain the man who had the vision and the courage not to oppose the course of history. He may not have fully understood what was happening before his eyes and the forces that he had unleashed, but his restraint constitutes true greatness. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
* Climate crisis is this generations Berlin Wall Nov 10, 2009
By Mikhail Gorbachev Tuesday, Nov 10, 2009, Page 9 ... Mikhail Gorbachev, former general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, was awarded the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize for his leading role in the peaceful conclusion of the Cold War. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Germans recall night world changed Nov 10, 2009
Chancellor Angela Merkel and former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. 6:10am. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Berlin Celebrates the Day the Wall Fell Nov 10, 2009
On Monday afternoon, Merkel and Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit was joined by Walesa and former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to mark that historic moment with a ceremony at the Bornholmer Strasse crossing. At 7 p.m. the Berliner Staatskappelle led by Daniel Barenboim will hold a concert at the Brandenburg Gate, followed by rockers Bon Jovi performing their song "We Weren't Born To Follow." After the dominoes are knocked over, Paul van Dyk, a Grammy Award-winning DJ who grew up in East Germany,... (BusinessWeek)
Hitchens: Let's Not Get Sentimental About Communism Nov 9, 2009
Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze seem to have resolved to do this after the meltdown of the Chernobyl reactor and the campaign of reflexive official lying that at first accompanied it. From then on, they accepted one thing after another: the inevitable defeat in Afghanistan and the unsustainability of the Warsaw Pact alliance. (Slate)
Books about 1989: Wall stories Nov 9, 2009
He highlights Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, the other two giant figures who ended the communist epoch. Unlike his rivals, the author devotes at least some space to developments in other continents. (The Economist)
China's reaction to the fall of the Wall: Keep calm Nov 9, 2009
China s state-owned media have mostly avoided the subject, as they have also stayed silent about the anniversary in June of China s own pro-democracy upheaval of 1989 tumult that was witnessed by Mikhail Gorbachev, Russia s leader, and which was bloodily suppressed only when he had gone home. They are probably obeying instructions from the Central Propaganda Department of the party. (The Economist)
Slideshow: Reagan's 'Tear Down This Wall' Dream Nov 9, 2009
History views Ronald Reagan s challenge to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev on June 12, 1987, as the beginning of the end of the Berlin Wall. Although Reagan aides had qualms about his tough words, the president nonetheless proclaimed defiantly at Brandenburg Gate: If you seek peace. (Newsmax)
Berlin celebrates demise of Wall Nov 9, 2009
Guests including ex-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev will join her in walking across the first border crossing to open in 1989. The barrier was unexpectedly opened after weeks of pro-democracy protests. (BBC News -- Europe)
The rusting and fall of the Iron Curtain Nov 9, 2009
A number of factors made that happen, including the multidecade restraint of military men like my father, the internal collapse of the Soviet economy, and the steadfast arms control regime, which began with Kennedy and Khrushchev, and climaxed with Ronald Reagan s embrace of Mikhail Gorbachev s astonishing proposals at Geneva and Reykjavik, Iceland. But Gorbachev and Reagan were both responding to something else - the pressures from below of grass-roots movements for peace on both sides of the... (Boston Globe)
Why We Should Celebrate Nov 9, 2009
The Berlin Wall came tumbling down just two years after President Ronald Reagan, standing before the Brandenburg Gate, challenged Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the wall and seven years after his bold prediction, to the British Parliament, that Marxism-Leninism was headed for the ash heap of history. Reagan was no longer in the White House when the wall fell. (Human Events Online)
Tear Down This Wall Nov 9, 2009
Today, in their 20s may have a difficult time recalling just why a Wall was erected in Berlin sometime in the past, and may wonder why such a fuss is being made today in the media and why celebrations are being held to commemorate the disappearance of the Wall. To be sure, the wall is a modern relic of 20th century history, but its significance was far greater than its physical effectiveness in forming a barrier. (Human Events Online)
The Berlin wall and violent Islamic jihad Nov 9, 2009
An enlightened Mikhail Gorbachev recognized this, though he didn't anticipate the full extent of its implications. Will a successor to Osama bin Laden someday realize the same. (Christian Science Monitor)
* The view from the White House on the fall of the Berlin Wall Nov 9, 2009
While the world celebrated the fall of the Berlin Wall on Nov. 9, 1989, the White House was concerned that the rapidly unfolding events could prompt then general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev into a crackdown on the reformist movement in Eastern Europe, said Scowcroft, who was then-US president George H.W. Bushs national security adviser. What we were all worried about was that if we gloated over what was happening, it could produce a reaction from the... (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Fall of the Berlin Wall: Timeline Nov 9, 2009
Dec. 3 Soviet spokesman Gennady Gerasimov, speaking after a press conference between George H.W. Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev, who were concluding a shipboard summit at Malta, declared: "From Yalta to Malta, the cold war ended at 12.45 p.m. today.". Dec. 22 Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceauescu is overthrown. (Christian Science Monitor -- World)
GORBACHEV: Man Who Prevented World War III? Nov 9, 2009
In June 1987, President Reagan came to the and make a famous appeal to Soviet Communist Party leader Mikhail Gorbachev: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.". Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev sits before a photograph of the Brandenburg Gate while attending the Urania Medal award at the Urania Theater March 13, 2009, in Berlin, Germany. (ABC News)
Berlin Wall: 20 years on Nov 9, 2009
Former president of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev (left) walks arm-in arm with former German foreign minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher at a Berlin Wall memorial event in the city ... Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, ex-Polish president Lech Walesa and dissidents who helped bring down the Wall and end European communism would also be on hand at the former "death strip" between East and West Berlin. (iAfrica.com)
Wall anniversary celebrations kick off in Berlin Nov 9, 2009
" In the run-up to the anniversary, Irish rockers U2 electrified a crowd of 10,000 at the Brandenburg Gate Thursday with a spectacular free concert that included the ballad "One", written in Berlin and partly inspired by the Wall's fall. Artists on Friday unveiled restored murals on the longest-surviving stretch of the 155-kilometre-long (96-mile-long) Wall known as the East Side Gallery. On Monday, Merkel will also be joined by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, ex-Polish president Lech... (Channelnewsasia.com)
PM at Berlin Wall commemoration Nov 9, 2009
Ex-Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, Polish Solidarity leader Lech Walesa and former West German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher will also be in attendance. It is expected that behind the scene of the celebrations, European leaders will take the opportunity to consider the EU's future direction in the wake of the Lisbon Treaty. (BBC News -- UK)
Key Events Leading to Communism's Collapse Nov 9, 2009
Oct. 7: During visit to East Berlin, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev indirectly urges reform; thousands demonstrate against East German regime in first of series of protests that grow to rally of 1 million people Nov. 4. Nov. 7-8: East Germany's ruling Politburo resigns. (Fox News)
The November Chronicles Nov 8, 2009
A little more than two years earlier, that same Ronald Reagan had challenged his Soviet counterpart-though-no-real-match, Mikhail Gorbachev, to tear down this wall. Those words penetrated hearts, minds, not to mention concrete that day, leading to the barriers ultimate demise as a metaphor. (Townhall.com)
Late TV Listings Nov 8, 2009
Guests: General George Casey Jr., Army chief of staff; Bob McDonnell, governor-elect of Virginia; James Carville, Democratic strategist; Mary Matalin, Republican strategist; Bill McInturff, Republican pollster; Peter Hart, Democratic pollster; Mikhail Gorbachev, former Soviet Union president. 9 a.m. (CNN). (Boston Globe)
Berlin Buzzing as Anniversary Festivities Under Way Nov 7, 2009
Last weekend former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, at the beginning of the celebrations to make the anniversary of the fall of the wall, standing together with former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, said, We Germans in our history don t have very much to be proud of. But he continued. (Fox News)
Reagan Hated Berlin Wall From Start, Son Says Nov 7, 2009
Former President George H.W. Bush, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Mikhail Gorbachev and other prominent world figures are expected to be in Berlin to mark the anniversary, "but it is sad that the president of the United States doesn't deem it that important for him to be there," Reagan declared ... "' "He did that in Reykjavik with Mikhail Gorbachev. (Newsmax)
Not Everyone's Dancing Where Wall Was Nov 7, 2009
Somewhere in the middle closer to the center of events, and perhaps closer also to the truth stand Mikhail Gorbachev, Helmut Kohl and George H.W. Bush. Each of them would abjure the megaphone in favor of constant confidential communications to manage the Cold War's last crisis to its peaceful conclusion. (Investors Business Daily)
Who really brought down the Berlin Wall? Nov 7, 2009
On June 12, 1987, in front of the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin, Reagan issued a challenge to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to make good on his promises of liberalization. "Come here, to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, !" Reagan's supporters claim that this speech played a key role in sparking the events of 1989, but there's little evidence to back this up. (Slate)
* Thatcher warned French of rampant Kohl Nov 7, 2009
Taipei Times - archives. Enter your search terms. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
The Berlin Wall: So much gained, so much to lose Nov 6, 2009
Mikhail Gorbachev deserves credit for allowing so many serfs to escape so peacefully; but the Soviet Union crumbled because it could not produce the goods. And even if the current round of globalisation technically began before the wall fell, it was spurred on by it. (The Economist)
In depth: Europe's revolution Nov 6, 2009
I'd do it all again, says Mikhail Gorbachev. How dissidents helped bury Czech communism. (BBC News)
Good evening, live from the Berlin Wall Nov 6, 2009
Most important, a new kind of Russian leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, was applying perestroika (economic reform) and glasnost (openness) to a Soviet system that was failing badly. Ominously for the go 00003854 vernments of the Soviet satellites in Eastern Europe, there were signs that the Kremlin was no longer interested in propping them up. (MSNBC -- International)
Tragedy to farce in tale of the wall Nov 6, 2009
Mikhail Gorbachev, the new kid on the Bloc, who had moved to the head of the Soviet working class in 1985, merely wanted to reform the empire, not relinquish it. But once his grip loosened, the empire evaporated in the ''velvet revolutions'' of 1989. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
Berlin Wall is 'a symbol of freedom now' Nov 6, 2009
The dedication of the Breakthrough sculpture included an appearance by former president Ronald Reagan -- who famously challenged Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev to "Open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." during a speech at the Brandenburg Gate on June 12, 1987. Breakthrough is constructed of eight panels from the wall near the Brandenburg Gate. (Fulton Sun, MO)
Newsweek: Did the U.S. hasten the fall? Nov 6, 2009
If any single person deserves the credit, it was Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, not President Reagan. For another, things happened so fast that the United States couldn't have pulled the strings even if it had wanted to. (MSNBC -- International)
CAL THOMAS: Enablers and excusers of communism Nov 6, 2009
Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush; the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev; and former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl were honored at a ceremony in Berlin. It recalled how the three leaders carried the hope that had built on East Germany's streets and turned it into a political reality - the end to more than 40 years of animosity and division reflected in the concrete barrier that snaked across Berlin. (Fresno Bee -- Opinion)
Fall Of The Wall? U.S. Sends Regrets Nov 6, 2009
Ronald Reagan issues his "Tear down this wall!" demand to Mikhail Gorbachev, June 12, 1987. Twenty years ago this Monday, the wall came down. (Investors Business Daily)
The Nov. 9 Anniversary Nov 5, 2009
East German communist leaders with the OK from Soviet ruler Mikhail Gorbachev, in order to avoid a citizens' revolt, allowed free traffic between the East and West. During the 28-year history of the Wall, an estimated 5,000 people were able to escape the East by getting over the Wall. (Missourian Publishing, MO)
* Russia ponders how to give up the Vodka bottle Nov 5, 2009
The most notable was pressed by Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, who in the mid-1980s ordered shelves emptied of vodka and historic vineyards razed. Those measures succeeded at first, resulting in a nationwide bout of temperance that even increased life expectancy. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)
