_ TRIBUNE FEATURE SUPPLEMENT New thinking: an appeal to people’s Common sense we do not conceal, on the contrary we MOSCOW (TASS) -- "Mikhail Gorbachev’s report, its provisions, assessments, and analysis of a broad range of issues, and the Leninist meth- ods of this analysis will give, we are Sure, a powerful impetus to the devel- opment of public awareness and scien- tific thought,’’ Alexander Yakovlev Said Nov. 3. A member of the Politburo and Secretary of the CPSU Central Com- Mittee, Yakovlev spoke with the me- dia at Moscow’s Press Centre on the 70th Anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution. ‘‘The point at - issue is primarily the analysis of the historical path started with the 1917 Revolution and how we look at it now, _having begun perestroika,’’ he said. “We talk of restructuring both as a humanistic vision and the realization Of socialism which centres upon people, their rights, social protection and creative work in all spheres. “*The point at issue is new political thinking. This includes the philosophy of a nuclear-free, safe and non-violent world which offers hope and opportu- nity for ushering in the 21st century, and for surviving in it. The report itself reflects the essence of the philosophy of new thinking. “The point at issue is also the theo- retical and practical question of essen- tial importance not only for us: whether capitalism is capable of ac- Cepting in principle the idea of a funda- mentally changed world? ““‘We take pride in what has been accomplished in our country,”’ Yakovlev said. ‘‘The Jubilee is a good Opportunity for pondering, for con- Sulting history and our-own intelli- gence, for realizing what the destiny of Socialism demands from us, what is rejected in principle and rejected once and for all. “Today we take particular care to Check each of our steps against the ideals and goals of our Revolution. We have cause for pride in the material, Social, political and intellectual spheres. **A backward country where three- quarters of the population was illiter- ate and mass hunger was something quite normal has turned into a modern State. “*We broke away from poverty and Oppression into culture and the forma- Hon of a society of broad and equal Opportunities for everyone. But that Was very hard to achieve. _ “The strategic parity that we have literally wrested from history has cre- ated new conditions and a new psy- Chology permitting a new look at the world,’’ Yakovlev continued. “This parity makes it possible to depart from the policy of forced and often urgent searches for responses to Mmilitary-technological challenges from the West, and to take the path of Purposefully cultivating conditions for peaceful international develop- Ment, optimum conditions for prog- Tess. _ “An utterly different epoch has set In, one in which movement toward a Nuclear-free and non-violent worldisa Teal alternative. ‘‘We are not idealists urging a kind of modern utopia. We see the problems, the contradictions and even the preci- pices dividing the world today. “‘We realize that the track to a nu- clear-free and non-violent world will not be smooth and fast. We realize that there is much that is irrational in the world as well, stemming from the obscurantism and ignorance that have been gathering for centuries.”’ Recalling the questions put by Gor- bachev in his speech, whether imperial- ism would be able soberly to accept the situation as it exists, tame its nature and forgo military-power principles in fa- vour of political ones, and whether its economy could do without the militarist drug, Yakovlev said: : “It is only time itself that can give definite answers to these questions. Let us not anticipate the answers -- although stress, that if humanity wants to sur- vive, the answers must be only con- structive and practical. “‘New political thinking is not just a package of specific ideas and propos- als. We see it as an appeal to the com- mon sense of people, an appeal to be guided by reason and by the experience and knowledge that have already been gained and proven correct. “*This is why the hope that we can, together, avoid the catastrophic danger threatening the world was expressed so emotionally in the report by the Gen- eral Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. This is why this country’s policy proceeds from the premise that, along with us, this hope will be sup- ported with practical action by others as well, even if their ideology and val- ues are different from ours.”’ A difficult question: can capitalism adjust? By ENVER MAMEDOV APN Political Correspondent In his report, Mikhail Gorbachev noted that our foreign policy con- sisted not only of gains and achievements. There were some miscalcula- tions, too. In particular we failed to take full advantage of the Soviet Union’s moral prestige at the end of World War Two in order to consoli- date the democratic forces and thwart the organizers of the cold war. Nevertheless, we can declare in this hour of celebration that in principle our foreign policy has invariably followed the general direction worked out by Lenin. It is appropriate to the nature of socialism and its fundamental commitment to peace. Gorbachev posed difficult questions as to whether the nature of the social system can change -- whether capitalism can function economically without militarism and whether it can do without the neocolonialism which serves as a sort of life-support to its system. In other words, can capitalism adapt to the conditions of a nuclear-free and disarmed world, toa new, just economic order, and to an honest comparison of the spiritual values of the two worlds? ‘‘Actual experience will provide the answer,’’ Gorbachev declared. The correctness of the program for a nuclear-free and secure world will be tested by the course of events, and it is already being tested. And we still hope that it will be possible to build a secure world in co- operation with capitalism. History shows that socialist and capitalist states could rally together in the face of the fascist menace. And indeed, some capitalist states now appreciate the ecological threat. The ‘‘economic miracle’’ in Japan, West Germany, and Italy, was achieved in a period when these states did not engage in an arms build-up, showing that capitalist economies could develop without militarization. At the same time we have seen enough evidence that it is militarism that exacerbates - crisis situations in the economies not only of the U.S., but also of other countries. Developing nations, on the other hand, have worked out a collective program which, once carried out, will enable them to establish normal and mutually beneficial relaticas with the West. ~~ The national liberation movement, which grows every day, has its impact on peace activities around the world. It has two and one-half billion people behind it. It is a tremendous reserve in the effort to build a nuclear- free and non-violent world. Transnational capital therefore should adjust its objectives to the independent choice of the third wor'd countries ‘themselves. AAOH PHA 10 AHEW k OT O P bE NOTPACAHK M4 oP ’ PHA SOK 10 AHEH hk OT O P bl E NoTPACAH Mem. P “t Aa&OH PHA 10 ANEW iO 4°00 P bit NnoTPACAH MeM.P AaxOK 10 AHeH NOTPACAH | M4 MP puna The front cover of the 1923 Soviet edition of ‘‘Ten Days That Shook The World’’. John Reed’s classic eyewitness account of the Russian Revolution. PACIFIC TRIBUNE, JUNE 3, 1987 e S3