Makhail Gorbachev speaks out on Middle East, UN, and the U.S.

After reading this I hope Congress will stand their ground and not approve John Bolton as our U.N. representative. America is in dire need of a diplomatic ambassador not a neocon bully.

The complete interview with Gorbachev can be found here

MAKHAIL GORBACHEV (Translation): I don’t think it will go as far as World War III. We will come to our senses. But before we reach the point where we come to our senses, too many things are going to be ruined, too many. And it all started with an attempt, to get back two soldiers. And here are the results. If it continues at this pace, then I think that the British Foreign Minister was right when he said that what was happening was not a surgical operation but rather something more serious, and that the Americans must understand what it is all leading to.
The Americans defended Israel actions…To tell the truth I … I really pity Israel and the Israelis. This action will whip up resentment against them. And that country has been living under pressure for decades, with a machine-gun at their side, as people say. I wonder who needs this. Who needs this turn of events now? When events reach this point, and become so acute and visibly inhumane, I am ready to say that I personally condemn such actions.

GEORGE NEGUS: But what do we do now? What do we do to stop this?

MAKHAIL GORBACHEV (Translation): I think the Security Council must have an urgent meeting and issue this demand immediately, And Israel must submit to it. And the other side must submit as well. They too are firing missiles. And then the process must begin, it will be difficult, as usual, but it must be a diplomatic and political process....

MAKHAIL GORBACHEV (Translation): Do you know what the greatest danger is? That the precedent is being created… that when some breach of international law is detected, the immediate reaction is to use force, and to actually employ force on a large scale. In my opinion this approach means nothing but danger and is fraught with consequences. Things must be done within the limits of international law and there are tools for this.

GEORGE NEGUS: You have said that you fear other nations could be drawn into this exchange that's occurring now.

MAKHAIL GORBACHEV (Translation): If Lebanon can be treated in this way, it creates an atmosphere in which people try to solve their problems in this way. If people take pre-emptive actions and engage in pre-emptive strikes and so forth, I think we might be taken too far. We won’t think our way out of this. Force will be used. And that means victims and destruction and that means our diplomacy is in crisis. And so are international politics.

GEORGE NEGUS: The Americans are standing by and watching this happen. What do you think the American role should be? We're talking about the Israelis here.

MAKHAIL GORBACHEV (Translation): The US President …once again said that he supports Israel. You can do a lot under American protection. They mustn't serve as a protecting roof. They must make the Security Council our common roof and our common judge. And we must operate in accordance with it’s rules and in accordance with international law.
People understand something very wrong is going on. And thinking and informed people ask themselves, “Perhaps the whole agenda is different? Perhaps they’re trying to pull us into something else?” Imagine how many negotiations and peace processes will be scuttled as a result of this action. People everywhere will be trying to use force. The Russian proverb says…I don’t know if Australians have a similar one…”Brawn beats brains.” That is the principle.
But we are now living a world where we need a lot of brains and we need intelligent people in politics. Especially where international politics is concerned.

MAKHAIL GORBACHEV (Translation): ...You asked me about America…As the sole remaining super power they have a great role to play. But that role means even greater responsibility, and I think they tend to forget that. That means that some other interests are being served. So tell us what those interests are and then the world will decide whether it agrees to it.

MAKHAIL GORBACHEV (Translation):...I would also like to say something about nuclear weapons. There can be no winners in a nuclear war and nuclear war can not be allowed to happen. But look, nuclear weapons are now considered, first by the US, then followed by Russia, as always, as a first strike and even a pre-emptive strike weapon. But we should remember that in one SS18 missile…One such missile, it is a 10-warhead missile, contains 100 Chernobyls. One missile, and there are thousands of them.

So this problem to do with nuclear energy will remain extremely important, and everything must be done to keep the situation under control. That means we must strictly adhere to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, get rid of nuclear weapons and we must consider very carefully and responsibly the issue of whether or not to build nuclear power plants.