Ex-Soviet Cold War Leader’s Ominous Predictions Mar Berlin Wall Milestone

With ongoing diplomatic relations between the West, its allies, and Russia over the Ukrainian crisis strained, an ex-Soviet Union leader made some ominous predictions about rising tensions. On the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Mikhail Gorbachev, the face of the former USSR at the end of the Cold War, warned that unless sanctions are lifted and the Obama Administration yields to foreign sovereignty, the world borders on imminent ideological conflict — of which many suggest is a prelude to World War 3.

As a keynote speaker at an event to mark the 25th anniversary of the wall near Berlin’s famous Brandenburg Gate, the former Soviet statesman clouded the occasion with a dismal tone aimed at what he charges as the West falling victim to “triumphalism.” Gorbachev expressed his concerns that ever since the former USSR fell to global ideological pressures and Moscow’s teetering on bankruptcy, the United States has taken an aggressive posture on exceptionalism and non-diplomacy in matters of disagreement.

“The world is on the brink of a new Cold War. Some are even saying that it’s already begun.”

The 83-year-old blames the civil unrest and military skirmishes in portions of Eastern Ukraine on Western political machinery. Moreover, the former Russian communist leader attributes the conflicts in the Middle East (ISIS, Al-Qaeda), Iran’s nuclear threats, North Korea’s isolation, Yugoslavia’s crisis, and more to Obama’s failed foreign policy measures, according to BBC News. Weeks before Gorbachev’s statements, Vladimir Putin accused the West of “war mongering,” according to a previous Inquistir news report.

Conversations about the Cold War often conjure up images of Fidel Castro, JFK, and the Cuban Missile (Bay of Pigs), or Ronald Reagan’s famous words to Gorbachev, then General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, “Tear down this wall,” to usher in liberties in the Eastern bloc.

However, the Cold War has its roots in the 1940s, when former Prime Minister Winston Churchill of Britain spoke about the clash between Democracy and Communism that began a short time after the end of World War 2. In current references, it marked the end of the 20th century, which was a time rife with a war of words, ideals, and armed conflict in Vietnam and Korea. The global unrest focused on the snares of corruption that were running rampant in China and Russia. Moreover, the pivotal period was characterized by perhaps the largest departures from Constitutional liberties every seen, primarily due to mistrust and evidence of Communist infiltration within U.S. government.

Ironically, the former Soviet Union head’s comments, which petition the removal of sanctions on Russian individuals, drew similarities to former France foreign minister Roland Dumas’ words advocating liberties when the Berlin Wall fell.

“Without freedom between nations, without respect of one nation to another, and without strong and brave disarmament policy, everything could start over again tomorrow. Even everything we used to know, and what we called the Cold War.”

President Barack Obama showed some signs of consensus with Russia when he agreed with Gorbachev on the European crisis, namely with Ukraine. In a statement on Friday, President Obama said that the aggressive actions Russia has taken towards Ukraine (Crimea annexation, military incursion) “reminds us we have more work to do to fully realize our shared vision of a Europe that is whole, free and at peace.”

[Image via: JournalCores9]