We must break out of this situation. We need to resume political dialogue aiming at joint decisions and joint action.
There is a view that the dialogue should focus on fighting terrorism. This is indeed an important, urgent task. But, as a core of a normal relationship and eventually partnership, it is not enough.
The focus should once again be on preventing war, phasing out the arms race, and reducing weapons arsenals. The goal should be to agree, not just on nuclear weapons levels and ceilings, but also on missile defense and strategic stability.
In modern world, wars must be outlawed, because none of the global problems we are facing can be resolved by war -- not poverty, nor the environment, migration, population growth, or shortages of resources.
Take the first step
I urge the members of the U.N. Security Council -- the body that bears primary responsibility for international peace and security-- to take the first step. Specifically, 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.
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.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said that one of the main freedoms is freedom from fear. Today, the burden of fear and the stress of bearing it is felt by millions of people, and the main reason for it is militarism, armed conflicts, the arms race, and the nuclear Sword of Damocles. Ridding the world of this fear means making people freer. This should become a common goal. Many other problems would then be easier to resolve.
The time to decide and act is now.
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from: click here
April 14, 2008 - Mikhail Gorbachev, former President of the USSR, was asked today in Santa Fe, New Mexico, to lead the next USA President out of the USA's present Middle East conflicts; "USA needs to elect a President who gets along with the world, and doesn't brandish a big stick and make threats;" World needs "Planetary Glasnost"
Stephen Fox, alternative newspaper managing editor and gallery owner of Santa Fe, this afternoon in Santa Fe asked former USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev if, after November, he would please be so kind as to lead and advise the next USA President as to how to get out of our quagmire. This is most of what he replied in Russian, through a translator:
"The Middle East is what the entire world is watching. If things go badly for the USA, things go badly for all of us. America must not abuse the trust it has from its allies, much of which has virtually stopped.
I am glad to see in this election a resurgence of interest in international affairs. As I will say in my talk tonight, judging from the USA's military budget, your nation seems to be at war with the world, and I sense that the American people don't like this at all.
The size of your weapons budget is larger than it was at the peak of the Cold War, and larger all of the rest of the nuclear nations put together. Why do you continue to build these weapons? This is amazing to me!
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