Featured Book:
Mikhail Gorbachev
Essential Thoughts
This book sets out the ideas and ideals, the spirit and vision that guided Mikhail Gorbachev in his world-changing agenda, in a concise form.
It also offers Gorbachev’s insights into how each of us can help to restore humanist values and personal responsibility as the foundation of global politics.
This wealth of wisdom is an invaluable resource for overcoming the huge social and environmental challenges that humanity faces today. The boundless optimism and confidence of this colossal world figure can inspire each of us to play our role, large or small, in helping to create a sustainable and peaceful future for our planet earth and all its inhabitants.
“We are one mankind, we are one planet!”
– Mikhail Gorbachev
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About the editor
Swiss national, Michael S. Karlen first became interested in Mikhail Gorbachev during his college years in Zurich in the 1980s. After working for the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations in Geneva, he became in 2005 Secretary-General of the non-profit Comprehensive Dialogue among Civilizations (CDAC), based in Geneva. CDAC’s mission includes developing new ethics to encompass all races, nations and ideologies — work which increased Karlen’s respect for Mikhail Gorbachev’s similar focus in world affairs.
This organization was founded by Vladimir Petrovsky, Deputy Foreign Minister under Mikhail Gorbachev and later United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva. As head of CDAC, Karlen worked closely with Petrovsky and in 2015 edited a book about his life (The Master Diplomat: Nuremberg, Wisdom-Light Press, 2015). Through his work with Mr. Petrovsky and later on the book, Karlen became closely acquainted with the vision, ideas and ideals of Perestroika. President Gorbachev wrote the foreword for The Master Diplomat and from then on, Karlen’s contacts with him and with the Gorbachev Foundation became more frequent.
Karlen currently lives and works in New York with regular visits to Moscow.