America--Casting Light and Shadows

We have too often encountered distorted perceptions about our own country as well as widespread anti-Soviet stereotypes--and therefore we know only too well what evil can be produced by a conscious or unconscious falsehood--to view the United States solely in black and white.

I know that American propaganda--yes, propaganda--presents America as a “shining city atop a hill.” America has a great history. Who will question the importance of the American Revolution in mankind’s social progress, or the scientific-technological genius of America and its achievements in literature, architecture and art? All this America has.

But America today also has acute social and other problems, to which not only has American society not yet found an answer, but, even worse, it is looking for answers in places and in such a way that may lead to others having to pay.

The United States has a huge production potential and an enormous material wealth, but, at the same time, it has millions of unfortunate people.

This is something to ponder--an almost missionary passion for preaching about human rights and liberties and a disregard for ensuring those same elementary rights in their own home. This also provokes thought about the endless talk of man’s freedom and the attempts to impose a way of life on others.

How are we to understand this? Arrogance of power, especially military power, constant growth in arms spending and gaps in the budget, and internal, and now also an external, debt. For what? What motivates the United States? We ask ourselves all these and many other questions, trying to grasp the American reality and to see the mainsprings behind U.S. policy.

I admit frankly that what we know does not support the idea of the United States as a “shining city atop a hill.” With equal definiteness I can say that neither do we consider the United States an “evil empire.” Like all countries, America in reality casts both light and shadows. We see the United States as it actually is--diverse in its opinions both in and about American society.

The Soviet leadership does not perceive the United States in just one dimension, but clearly distinguishes all the facets of American society: the millions of working people going about their daily chores who are generally peacefully disposed; realistically minded politicians; influential conservatives and, alongside them, reactionary groups that have links with the military-industrial complex and profit from arms manufacturing. We see a healthy normal interest in us and also a fairly widespread, blinding anti-Sovietism and anti-communism.

We believe the political system and social order of the United States is the business of the American people themselves. They have to decide how to govern their country and how to elect their leadership and their government. We respect this sovereign right.

If we began to doubt the choice of the American people, what would come of it? Politics must be built on realities, on an understanding of the fact that each nation has a right to independently choose its way of life and its own system of government.

1987 Mikhail S. Gorbachev, adapted from “Perestroika: New Thinking for Our Country and the World,” a Cornelia and Michael Bessie book (Harper & Row)