Mikhail Gorbachev’s Closing Remarks at the New Policy Forum Conference in Montpellier, France, November 25, 2011

First, let me thank all participants for an interesting and meaningful debate. It has fulfilled my expectations – and, I hope, yours.

It is right that out Forum has responded to the wave of change in the Mediterranean. Today, this is where things are really at a boiling point, and events here require urgent attention.

But it was equally important for us to expand our analysis, going beyond this region. As we have seen, it is more than just a mirror – it is a magnifying glass of the processes occurring in the world and of the challenges that mankind is facing.
It is of course necessary for leaders to address local issues and react to people’s specific demands. But without a global perspective, without global political thinking, such a reaction could turn out to be inadequate. I think we have made an attempt to come closer to such a global view.

It may well be that our discussion has produced more questions than answers. But correctly formulated questions are very important. They are the beginning of the road that leads to answers.

I think there is one thing on which we all agree: the events in this region are part of a shift in world affairs that was made possible by the end of the Cold War. They are part of a transition to a different world order.

It is very important to bear in mind that this is producing a change in the balance of forces and capabilities of states and their associations, as new influential actors are entering the world arena. Those who were intoxicated by the ‘winner’s complex’ and thought that their power is practically unlimited must finally sober up. If not, they could be tempted to engage in new adventures with dangerous consequences for themselves, and for the world.

The world is in a period of transition. Can it be said that this transition has a common vector everywhere? I would say yes. But this common vector is not a direct line. It is affected by the specific conditions, by the history, culture and evolution of different nations and regions.

Moreover, can it be said that this common vector is from authoritarianism to democracy? Opinions differ. My view is that the overall direction is towards democracy, but not of a ‘one kind fits all’ variety. The Arab Moslem specificity will manifest itself in such forms as will naturally emerge in this region if others do not impose ‘the only correct solution’ or try to ‘slash and burn.’

Watching live coverage on television and recalling what we saw last summer, we have to be concerned about the destiny of what started as a people’s movement, above all a mass movement for dignity, which is now going through a difficult stretch.

People who for decades were passive and had no voice have now entered the arena of history. Perhaps never before has the religious factor played such a large role in a national movement. That is why we discussed at such length the different faces of political Islam, and I feel that the discussion has deepened our understanding of its special features and its role.
We had a very interesting and substantive debate on the role of the external factor. I said in my introductory remarks that Europe is now gripped by a growing crisis, which is bound to affect its actions and its capabilities. Here too, questions arise.

Will Europe retain its attractiveness as an example, a model to emulate, for the populations and the elites of third world countries, the Arab countries in particular?

To what extent can the West, the European Union, the United States and, incidentally, Russia really influence the course of events? Will their influence be a positive factor? What are, after all, the real intentions of these ‘players’ in the region?
We have heard here both positive and very critical assessments and answers to these questions. But there is one thing on which I think we all agree: the best thing the international community could do now to contribute to a positive evolution in the region would be to finally move off the ground the process of settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

I felt it was important that participants in our conference addressed, bluntly and sometimes in very harsh terms, the moral aspect of the events now unfolding. Whether one agrees with that or considers such criticism excessive, when we see clear signs of hypocrisy and self-serving tendencies in the policies of major powers, we must react. The peoples of the region see it all, and their reaction, which is quite natural and justified, could strain relations among civilizations, as we saw only too well after the US invasion of Iraq.

There is also another essential question: will Europe be able to play a positive role if, because of its current economic policies and its failure to stimulate economic growth, it condemned itself to stagnation and long-term crisis?

Here again we see the link between the regional and global implications of the current turbulent changes. And, with all their differences, the ‘Arab wave’ and the protest movements now spreading across the world should be considered in the same context.

The protesters who are ‘occupying Wall Street’ in different countries are calling for a return to the principles of equality, social justice and solidarity. I regard these principles as part of universal human values, as important as the values of human rights and freedom. In the past 20-30 years, they have been pushed far into the background.

People are wondering why the crisis for which they are not to blame should be solved at their expense. They rightly accuse major corporations of pushing through parliaments the tax loopholes that work to their advantage, and blame the financial sector that has lost touch with the real economy and awards itself huge bonuses. They are also putting much of the blame on politicians.

Politics has been locked in an ‘iron cage’ of the demands and dogmas of neoliberal economics while it is becoming clearer with every passing day that these dogmas, far from stimulating economic growth, are holding it back.
Such is the crisis we are facing today. As always, a crisis means both danger and opportunity.

The danger is clear: further descent of the Mediterranean region, of Europe, and ultimately of the world into chaos. Yet, there is also an opportunity: of developing a meaningful and responsible policy that could facilitate the advance of a vast and important region toward a new, democratic phase of its development.

More broadly, the current crisis may be an opportunity to search for new forms of democratic governance on a national and international scale.

Yesterday I proposed that we prepare shortly a report of our Forum. I think the debate we have had here has made clearer what, and how, we shall address in that report. Let us continue thinking about it. I would welcome any suggestions about the structure and content of the report. Please send them to our Academic Advisory Council and its chairman, Andrei Grachev. We shall certainly keep you posted about the work on the report.

Once again, my thanks to our gracious hosts of the Languedoc- Roussillon region and its President, Mr. Christian Bourquin, to all participants and to all those who have helped us to work so fruitfully during these two days.