Gorbachev Interview: I Am an Optimist

Expressing impatience toward his critics and advice for foreign heads of state, Gorbachev sees himself as the leader of a new revolution and a visionary for the end of the century

After greeting his visitors from TIME, Mikhail Gorbachev observed that since he had already prepared written answers to a list of questions submitted in advance, "there's really no need to waste any more time or paper." He gave a hearty laugh, then invited the group to join him at a small oval conference table in the corner of his office and, without ceremony, launched into the subject that is most on his mind these days -- the domestic economy.

I've just come from a meeting of the Presidential Council. We were discussing radical measures for the reform of our economy. At...

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