Time has come for a new Perestroika. In the West.
Mikhail Gorbachev, the last general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, in Washington Post: “We Had Our Perestroika. It’s High Time for Yours.”
French translation: Le monde a besoin d’une nouvelle perestroïka, par Mikhail Gorbachev.
Excerpts from the English version:
I have often told listeners that I feel Americans need their own change — a perestroika, not like the one in my country, but an American perestroika [...].
Our perestroika signaled the need for change in the Soviet Union, but it was not meant to suggest a capitulation to the U.S. model. Today, the need for a more far-reaching perestroika — one for America and the world — has become clearer than ever.[...]
Two conspiracies hijacked the changes — the attempted coup in August 1991 [...] and the subsequent agreement [...] to dissolve the Union. Russia’s leaders then rejected the evolutionary path, plunging the country into chaos.
Nevertheless, when I am asked whether perestroika succeeded or was defeated, I reply: Perestroika won, because it brought the country to a point from which there could be no return to the past. [...]
Western leaders were convinced that they were at the helm of the right system and of a well-functioning, almost perfect economic model. [...] The “Washington Consensus,” the dogma of free markets, deregulation and balanced budgets at any cost, was force-fed to the rest of the world.
But then came the economic crisis of 2008 and 2009, and it became clear that the new Western model was an illusion that benefited chiefly the very rich. Statistics show that the poor and the middle class saw little or no benefit from the economic growth of the past decades.
The current global crisis demonstrates that the leaders of major powers, particularly the United States, had missed the signals that called for a perestroika. [...]
The model that emerged during the final decades of the 20th century has turned out to be unsustainable. It was based on a drive for super-profits and hyper-consumption for a few, on unrestrained exploitation of resources and on social and environmental irresponsibility.
[...] The current model does not need adjusting; it needs replacing. I have no ready-made prescriptions. But I am convinced that a new model will emerge, one that will emphasize public needs and public goods, such as a cleaner environment, well-functioning infrastructure and public transportation, sound education and health systems and affordable housing.
Elements of such a model already exist in some countries. Having rejected the tutorials of the International Monetary Fund, countries such as Malaysia and Brazil have achieved impressive rates of economic growth. [...] France has built a system of high-speed railways, while Canada provides free health care. [...]
The time has come for “creative construction,” for striking the right balance between the government and the market [...].
Washington will have to play a special role in this new perestroika [...] because America was the main architect [...] of the current world economic model. That model is now cracking and will, sooner or later, be replaced. That will be a complex and painful process for everyone, including the United States.
We will cope with the new global challenges as well, but only if everyone understands the need for real, cardinal change — for a global perestroika.
Jun 10, 2009 at 19:27
Gorbaciov cel cu semnul deavolului pe chelie…