Mikhail Gorbachev is one of the most important political figures of the 20th century. It was his courage that overcame the then greatest threat to mankind: the nuclear arms race and a possible nuclear war in Europe.

In modern times, with wars and new types of enemy, we need voices that can mediate and reconcile such as that of the experienced realist Mikhail Gorbachev. In his conversation with Franz Alt, he calls for a fundamental rethink of the world’s political situation, where non-violence is made the
first priority in international relations. His appeal is a wake-up call to finally take leave of nation-state thinking and selfishness and to build the »common European home«.

»We must break out of this situation. We need to resume political dialogue aiming at joint decisions and joint action. […] In modern world, wars must be outlawed, because none of the global problems we are facing can be resolved by war – not poverty, nor the environment, migration, population growth, or shortages of resources.«
Mikhail Gorbachev in TIME, January 26th, 2017