Free Republic

A Hidden History of Evil Why doesn’t anyone care about the unread Soviet archives? In the world’s collective consciousness, the word “Nazi” is synonymous with evil. It is widely understood that the Nazis’ ideology—nationalism, anti-Semitism, the autarkic ethnic state, the Führer principle—led directly to the furnaces of Auschwitz. It is not nearly as well understood that Communism led just as inexorably, everywhere on the globe where it was applied, to starvation, torture, and slave-labor camps. Nor is it widely acknowledged that Communism was responsible for the deaths of some 150 million human beings during the twentieth century. The world remains...

Most Americans believe, as they were told by the media and taught in schools and colleges, that the Cold War “ended” with events including the so-called “collapse” of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the demolition of the Berlin Wall in November 1989. However, those who are aware of the true scope and nature of the international communist menace know that the Soviet Union truly never collapsed, but instead, has metastasized and adopted new and deceptive forms in the Russian Federation. KGB defector Anatoliy Golitsyn has made the supposed “collapse” of the Soviet Union the subject of his 1986 book,...

When the birthday boy is a Nobel Peace Prize winner and widely acknowledged as 'The man who changed the world', you can expect some big names to turn up to raise a toast and help blow out the candles. Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev celebrated his 80th birthday with a glitzy charity gala at the Royal Albert Hall tonight, attended by a host of VIPs, from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Hollywood ladies Sharon Stone and Goldie Hawn. Stone acted as host for the evening, alongside Kevin Spacey, at a fund-raising concert featuring Katherine Jenkins, Shirley Bassey, Bryan Ferry, Mel C and...

The U.N. Meddling with Religion: Part 7 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), Rio de Janeiro, June 3-14, 1992 Informally called the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio, Brazil.Another example of the United Nations trying to blend all religions together into a New Agey "Global Consciousness aka: the coming Planetary Transformation aka: World Awakening aka: Shift to the New Aquarian Age" and get rid of the "exclusive" Christian Gospel.Conference Secretary-General: Maurice StrongFrom this UN page:The two-week Earth Summit was the climax of a process, begun in December 1989, of planning, education and negotiations among all Member States of the...

Mikhail Gorbachev, the last general secretary of the Soviet Union and Nobel Peace Prize winner, was awarded Russia's highest medal upon his 80th birthday. Gorbachev used the occasion to urge Vladimir Putin not to run for Russian president. Putin has already served two terms as Russian president and is currently the Russian prime minister. Putin has been noted for his high-handed style of governance that has seemed at times to rival that of the rulers of the old Soviet Union. It is therefore somewhat ironic that Gorbachev has again invoked democracy and freedom in his tart advice to Putin. While...

Some members of the European Parliament (MEPs) deemed yesterday’s resolution on Russian non-compliance with the rule of law to be much too soft, and now seek sanctions against Russian officials implicated in human rights abuses. As reported in the media, the European Parliament has three enumerations: there is the ‘Khodorkovsky list’, which includes those involved in imposing harsh sentences in the Yukos case; the ‘Magnitsky list’, with the names of those accused of the death in jail of the lawyer for Hermitage Capital Management; and the ‘Nemtsov list’, in which appear the persecutors of Russian opposition leaders. The latter list...

Learning a lesson in Iceland. Ronald Reagan was not always “conservative,” and for this, conservatives love him. The modern conservative mind thinks in a certain box – a good box, not a bad one, but a box, nevertheless. We have an ideology: government can do these specific things, and no more. Tax something and you’ll get less of it, subsidize a thing and you’ll get more of it… etc. We have a host of such pronouncements, and we are usually right. We advocate the limited government of the Constitution, and the free economy of Hayek and Hazlitt, because we believe...

Mikhail Gorbachev: victory in Afghanistan is 'impossible' Mikhail Gorbachev, the former leader of the Soviet Union, has warned that Afghanistan risks turning into another Vietnam, telling Nato that victory is impossible. Published: 10:42AM BST 27 Oct 2010 Mr Gorbachev, who pulled Russian troops out of Afghanistan in 1989 after a 10-year war, said the US had no alternative but to withdraw troops. "Victory is impossible in Afghanistan. [Barack] Obama is right to pull the troops out. No matter how difficult it will be," he told the BBC. Mr Gorbachev added that as the Soviets prepared to withdraw from Afghanistan, the...

On June 12, 1987, President Ronald Reagan spoke to the people of West Berlin at the base of the Brandenburg Gate, near the Berlin wall. Due to the amplification system being used, the President's words could also be heard on the Eastern (Communist-controlled) side of the wall. The address Reagan delivered that day is considered by many to have affirmed the beginning of the end of the Cold War and the fall of communism. On Nov. 9-11, 1989, the people of a free Berlin tore down that wall. Thank you. Thank you, very much.Chancellor Kohl, Governing Mayor Diepgen, ladies and...

Obama and Maatai walking together in Nairobi, Kenya in 2006 where the headquarters of the United Nations Environmental protection agency is located. Maurice Strong was the first UNEP President and was serving together with Maathai and Mikhail Gorbachev on the Earth Charters Commission. It is always fun to place Obama and Gorbachev in the same circle of friends. All folks mentioned above are saving the Earth. Or maybe they are just establishing connections that give them access to power and tax-payer money. ... non-government international organizations of “philanthropist” funded by the tax-payer money provided by the governments for humanitarian purposes....

Claire Berlinski A Hidden History of Evil Why doesn’t anyone care about the unread Soviet archives? Though Mikhail Gorbachev is lionized in the West, the untranslated archives suggest a much darker figure. In the world’s collective consciousness, the word “Nazi” is synonymous with evil. It is widely understood that the Nazis’ ideology—nationalism, anti-Semitism, the autarkic ethnic state, the Führer principle—led directly to the furnaces of Auschwitz. It is not nearly as well understood that Communism led just as inexorably, everywhere on the globe where it was applied, to starvation, torture, and slave-labor camps. Nor is it widely acknowledged that Communism...

Op-Ed Contributor Moscow PERESTROIKA, the series of political and economic reforms I undertook in the Soviet Union in 1985, has been the subject of heated debate ever since. Today the controversy has taken on a new urgency — not just because of the 25th anniversary, but also because Russia is again facing the challenge of change. In moments like this, it is appropriate and necessary to look back. We introduced perestroika because our people and the country’s leaders understood that we could no longer continue as we had. The Soviet system, created on the precepts of socialism amid great efforts...

There aren’t many cruises I’m dying to get aboard, but here is one such cruise. Not only does it visit ports I have always desired to visit, but the speakers aboard this cruise are simply amazing, especially for anyone interested in International Relations. Condi and Gorbachev are two of the featured speakers.

Sanibel, Fla., was one of the first U.S. cities to endorse the Earth Charter nearly a year ago as a part of Earth Day celebrations. It was also the first U.S. city to withdraw its endorsement. This controversial document, promoted by Mikhail Gorbachev and Maurice Strong for a decade, is seen by many to be an effort to create a new "16 Commandments" to serve as the foundation for a new global religion. Sanibel citizens were not happy about the endorsement. Forty-two citizens and five former mayors signed an open letter, published in a local newspaper, demanding that the endorsement...

Mikhail Gorbachev—the man who pulled the Soviet Union's troops out of Afghanistan after a decade of stalemate—says the US should do the same.

Bloomberg can't be posted on FR, so I can only post a link. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aP_6NUKjFaSM#

Ronald Reagan's historic speech before the Berlin Wall in 1987, in which he said "Mr. Gorbachev, Tear down this wall," is one of most important speeches in world history. The Berlin Wall's falling, which came about two years later, was a victory for freedom and a crushing blow to the former Soviet Union and the tyranny of Communism around the world.

We are approaching the 20th anniversary of the fall of Communism. This comprehensively refuted the Communist claim to represent the people. Yet, the claim continues, sometimes dazzling a new generation of youngsters with no inkling of why the Berlin Wall fell on November 9, 1989. In democratic Capitalism, said Karl Marx, the rich became richer and the poor poorer. Marxism inspired young idealists for over a century. Lenin's revolution in Russia in 1917 was hailed as a new dawn. Stalin's invasions brought Communism to Eastern Europe. Communist governments there pledged to create a paradise for workers, who would be freed...

November 9, 2009 Tear down this wall! And save the planet There are urgent parallels between the fall of Communism and the fight to stop climate change Mikhail Gorbachev The German people, and the whole world alongside them, are today celebrating a landmark date in history: the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Not many events can claim their place in the collective memory as a watershed that divides two distinct periods. The dismantling of the Berlin Wall — that stark, concrete symbol of a world divided into hostile camps — is such an event. It brought...

THE STATEMENT STILL GIVES ME CHILLS Despite the efforts of the Democrats, the wall came down 20 years ago. God blessed this nation indeed to have given us such a man of profound clarity and courage.