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To: FJB who wrote (1332)	11/10/1999 2:50:00 AM
From: Neocon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3246

Well, I cannot convince you that he was not playing a brilliant game if that is your assumption, since any counter- example could be a mere cover for his ultimate intention. And I am sleepy. Since it is my ballgame, I think I will leave it up to you to convince me that he did foresee the result. At the time, he did not act like it, but rather tried to bully the emerging Baltic States as they moved towards independence; sought to shore up the position of the Communist Party, and would not even go so far as the Chinese in marketization; and was very indecisive about how to progress much beyond admitting that there were problems....

To: FJB who wrote (1332)	11/10/1999 7:34:00 AM
From: Zoltan!	Respond to of 3246

>>However, a smart person like Mr. Gorbachev would have an inkling of what he was about to start. It is my belief that he understood his decisions would mean the end of the Soviet Union. I leave it up to you to convince me he did not understand the implication of his decisions. Absolutely clueless. There is no evidence of that. To believe that you would have to believe that Gorby was a Western agent. I suppose that a similar "smart person" would have realized that he could not retain power if he failed as leader and his country broke up. I suppose this smart person would have realized that he would become the most depised leader in his country, barely a factor in subsequent elections. I suppose this smart person would have realized that he would be forever reduced to living on handouts from the West and attending their victory parties as "honored guest". What was extraordinary about Gorby was that he was the first Soviet leader who would not resort to the mass murder of his own people to retain power. That also made him the last Soviet leader. For both the World will be ever grateful.