Avoiding Nuclear News Today

This article consists of a lightly edited introduction—by eminent international security analyst Graham Allison—to remarks former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev made at the Harvard Kennedy School in December 2007. Gorbachev's remarks from that evening nearly 15 years ago are contained in an accompanying video. 

Former Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev, who is known for ending the Cold War, dissolving the Soviet Union, and changing the map of Europe, died Tuesday, August 30. He was 91. We asked several Center experts for their thoughts on Gorbachev and his impacts – and how his life and actions are relevant to the challenges the world faces today.