Intl Relations Expert @Akorobk says Gorbachev seen by West as a Reformer, but Viewed by Many as an Idealist who Destroyed the Soviet Union.

Dr. Andrei Korobkov, an Internal Relations expert at Middle Tennessee State University, whose scholarship focuses on the post-Communist transition, acknowledges that “The death of Mikhail Gorbachev has led to numerous statements by the media, academics, and political figures past and present.”

However, Korobkov contrasts a stark dichotomy of perspectives on how the former Soviet leader will be remembered. “While the West is generally united in its praise for the late Soviet leader, viewed as the man who ‘demolished the wall,’ whose policies were in a sharp contrast with those of Vladimir Putin, Russian public opinion and political establishment remain deeply divided,” explains Korobkov.

“While Gorbachev is recognized as a reformer who opened the country to the outside world and destroyed the Communist system, he is also viewed by many as a clueless idealist, responsible for the destruction of the Soviet Union,” Korobkov continued.

Dr. Korobkov is available for interviews and to provide comments on Gorbachev’s impact on the Soviet Union and its lingering effect on Russia today.