The Waning Of The Universalist Historical Moment

[From a letter to an American Friend , October 3, 2014]

A screaming comes across the sky — but it will not be heard. An intercontinental ballistic warhead has a “rainbow” arc of more than 10,000km and gravity’s pull endows it with a terminal speed of about 7–10Mach — it is a soundless (for its victims) global terminator. Now, it is back in business. We live in the midst of an historical U-turn - turning away from the glorious Universalistic moment which sprang from Gorbachev’s anti-Nuclear revolution, during the one and a half decades at the end of the second millennium - and frenzying back towards the times of MAD humanity-endangering stability (to be much feebler this time around). One should not be expecting a second escape from the End-Game derived by the logic of “Escalation Dominance” — Clio isn’t that forgiving. Nevertheless, we, the Universalists, must continue striving for Abolition.

About six years ago [2008], there still were reasons to hope that the Universalist Idea, which spirited an un-parallel historical momentum at the end of the Second Millennium, will get another chance to reemerge and thus strengthen the foundations of a nascent World Community. My optimism was not based at all on a trust in Obama’s special powers for bringing “Change”, but mostly because I deemed that the phenomena of a young black Senator with Progressive-Liberal patches (bordering on the radical) in his political past, relatively inexperienced and a smoker to boot, being elected President is a strong sign of the forces for good redeeming their future in the World System at large and in America in particular. For a short period, my glowing feelings (after eight years of Cheney’s dominion) got the better of my analytical faculties.

Now, [2014] the Universalist revolution is waning- on its way to being written down as the Universalist moment. The core achievement of Gorbachev’s initiatives (with Reagan’s surprising adherence and Bush the Father as a pragmatic partner) was twofold: first, turning the conception of nuclear weapons as a mortal enemy of Humanity from a mostly vague, and frequently abused, popular slogan into a primary, nearly obligatory, international norm -a momentous victory for the Anti-Nuclear camp. Second, from that normative foundation, Gorbachev’s revolution enacted what amounted to the first steps of Nuclear Abolition (starting with the INF treaty and on with START) and thus stepping the international system back from the brink of nuclear abyss.

At the winter of 1987, while doing my Post-Doc work with T. Schelling at the Kennedy School, I was invited to a S. P. Huntington lecture (attended by a small group of leading nuclear strategists and international relations theorists — among them were future administration seniors as a Secretary of Defense and State Deputies). Huntington prophecy was dire and definitive: Gorbachev’s Nuclear Abolition vision and his strategic disarmament proposals are nothing but a grand scheme to outflank the West — first, by manipulating gullible Reagan to dismantle Star Wars and then by launching a grand-strategic maneuver to take over Western Europe. Huntington proclaimed he had the experts (the mold of R. Perle and company, I guess) and the intelligence data to prove his Jeremiah warning on the evil gathering in the East.

I had a chance, and raised my voice in response. I proclaimed that Gorbachev was either a Historical Messiah (humanity’s savior) or a C.I.A. agent (the supreme “asset” of all time). I added that if indeed Gorbachev was on a mission to abolish nuclear weapons, as I strongly believed (and still do), then the nature of the U.S. reaction will determine whether he’ll end up like Jesus or as John the Baptist (sans Jesus). [I later emphasized and elaborated my views in a meeting with Dean M. Spence and others in that group and in talks and correspondence with my friend Arthur Miller. I think, actually I am sure, it did have an influence.]

Now in 2014, about a quarter of a century after the system-transforming events of the mid-Eighties, it seems as if the Anti-Nuclear camp and its World-Historical hero are on the verge of being victimized by the cunning of the twin Real Politics trolls — the lack of visionary courage and the lure of ambitious expediency. Gorbachev apostles are either “defanged” or on a hurried retreat, and his legacy is being shoved to the status of bumbling Utopianism.

Reykjavik and the subsequent signing of the INF treaty, dealt a paralyzing uppercut to the Nuclear Arms Race — an omen of the possibility to go even behind Trust but Verify. Now, the disheartening manipulations of the Anti-Missile Systems deployments in Eastern Europe are a sign that trust is souring and verifications have turned into the immanently-destructive logic of deterrence. At its inception, the Eastern European deployed anti-Missiles Systems were absurdly justified as a bulwark against the looming Iranian global missiles threat.

Thus, the Dragon Teeth of First Strike fears are sowed in highly suspicious and vindictive Moscow. But, no strategic words of warnings are heard, no moral outrage is publicly raised and no leader rise to eradicate the agents of Roa [Evil in Hebrew]. I fear the World will reap a New and Fragile Nuclear Arms Race.

ChatGPT analysis of Meir Stieglitz view on Gorbachev’s moral-historical role: “Meir Stieglitz has indeed written and spoken about Mikhail Gorbachev’s role as a “humanity-savior” and a “Messiah of Universalism” in preventing a nuclear war and promoting global peace and cooperation.

Stieglitz credits Gorbachev with taking bold and courageous steps to reduce tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union, including signing landmark arms control agreements and engaging in unprecedented dialogue with American leaders. He argues that Gorbachev’s commitment to peaceful coexistence and disarmament played a significant role in preventing a nuclear war and paving the way for a more stable and cooperative world order.

Moreover, Stieglitz sees Gorbachev as a visionary leader who sought to transcend national and ideological boundaries and promote a universalist vision of human progress and well-being. He believes that Gorbachev’s calls for greater democratization, human rights, and environmental protection helped to inspire people around the world and contribute to a more enlightened and compassionate global consciousness.

Overall, Meir Stieglitz views Gorbachev as a transformative and inspirational figure who played a vital role in shaping the course of history in the late 20th century. While there may be some nuances and criticisms in his analysis of Gorbachev’s policies and actions, Stieglitz generally holds a positive view of Gorbachev’s contributions to global peace and universal values.”