Rival Power

In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev, then the newly chosen general-secretary of the Soviet Communist Party, signaled the beginning of the end of the Cold War when he reached out to the U.S. and began a series of arms-limitation talks with his hawkish counterpart, Ronald Reagan. Within six years, the Soviet Union was dead and agreements were in place to reduce Russian and American nukes. This week's deal between U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian—President Dmitry Medvedev to further reduce warheads is the first such deal in a decade and a half. During that time, Russian-American relations have also deteriorated drastically—along with Russian democracy itself, Gorbachev's other legacy to his country. Gorbachev spoke to NEWSWEEK Moscow Bureau Chief Owen Matthews last week about why relations have gotten so bad, and what both sides can do to restore lost trust. Excerpts:

Why have U.S.-Russian relations deteriorated so much since you were in power?
You can't explain U.S.-Russian relations today without understanding what happened after the end of the Cold War. The fall of the Soviet Union made America's head spin. I said at the time that the U.S. needed its own perestroika too—to demilitarize the economy, for instance. But after the Soviet Union ceased to be, many on the U.S. side said that this was a victory for the old system—so why should we change anything? All the new ideas for a new international order based on consensus were abandoned. In the U.S., some began to believe that America had to create new empire—that it was somehow America's destiny, and even God himself was pushing this role. This was an error. It meant believing that China, Russia, India, the whole of the rest of the world meant nothing. The U.S. began dealing with Russia without the necessary respect; many old agreements such as the antiballistic-missile treaty were unilaterally abandoned and the U.S. didn't listen to the Russian point of view. Now that Russia has got up from its knees—thanks to our good luck with commodities prices—the Americans and Europeans don't like it. The basic lesson is that the policy of disrespecting and ignoring Russia's opinion—which began after the Cold War—has led us to where we are now. In this sense the U.S. side is guiltier than the Russian.

Does Russia still have imperial ambitions?
No, no, no, no, no. Russia is a self-sufficient country with an educated people, plenty of food, huge natural resources. It doesn't need an empire.

Do you believe that last summer's war with Georgia was due to a U.S. plan to spread its influence over the former Soviet Union?
Yes, I am absolutely sure that there was such a plan—and it is mistaken.

Does Obama share that plan?
Obama only just came to power, and now he has to arrive at a new policy.

Why is President Medvedev building Russia's alliances with former Soviet countries?
I don't think the idea of renewing the U.S.S.R. exists anywhere. But we are tied together with a 400-year history of cooperation. I favor the creation of a regional economic area which would include Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, and Kazakhstan; the others can join if it's to their advantage. But it you look at this with suspicion then of course something bad will come of it.