APPLETON, Wis.-Although Russia has made immense social, political and economic advances in the last few decades, the journey toward peace is far from over, former Russian President and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Mikhail Gorbachev told an audience Tuesday night at the Fox Valley Performing Arts Center.
Gorbachev's speech kicked off a three-day conference sponsored by the Fox Cities-Kurgan Sister Cities Program, which is focused on fostering a closer alliance between the United States and Russia and eradicating nuclear weapon stockpiles in both countries.
As recently as the 1980s, the United States and Russia were engaged in a battle called \mutually assured destruction,"" where they had enough missiles and other weapons aimed at each other to destroy the planet several times over, according to experts.
While both countries have reportedly disarmed, there are still towns in Russia that possess stockpiles of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. These stockpiles, as well as existing factories with the capabilities of producing more weapons of mass destruction, are the focus of international concern, especially in light of the changing political climate of Russia.
Gorbachev said through a translator that 90 percent of the world's chemical weapons are stored in the United States and Russia, suggesting these provide a great temptation to terrorists who, as he said, want to ""explode the world.""
Gorbachev said it was now vital to destroy these arsenals of weapons of mass destruction before they fell into the wrong hands.
He also said international peace is a goal people should constantly strive toward, not something they should take for granted. Agreeing with an address made by former President John F. Kennedy, Gorbachev said peace should be dynamic and not static, and should rise to the challenge of new generations.
""Solving problems by military means is not the way of the 21st century,"" he said.
In order to promote peace, he said, all countries needed to work together and learn to respect each others' differences.
Gorbachev received a Nobel Peace Prize for peacemaking efforts during the Cold War in 1990.
Gov. Jim Doyle attended the speech and said it was an honor to meet Gorbachev.
""He led his nation through one of the most dangerous periods in U.S. history,"" Doyle said, ""He freed not only his people, but all the citizens of the world from nuclear Armageddon.""
Ellen Madsen drove from Milwaukee to hear the speech and said it was definitely worth the trip.
""He is one of the most famous, or infamous, people in the history of the world,"" Madsen said. ""This is a very historic moment for Wisconsin.\
