OPINION


Page 4

Saturday, October 13, 1984

The Michigan Doily

Soviet dissident assesses

U.S.

Mikhail Makarenko, S3, is a Soviet
dissident who is president and founder of
the Resistance Foundation based in
Washington; D. C. Makarenko spoke with
Daily reporter Mark Berniker last week
about his organization which is dedicated
to enlightening the American public about
the prisoner camps and the Communist.
Party in the Soviet Union. Makarenko
draws on experiences he has had,, in prison
camps in Siberia and gives his impression
of the effectiveness of U. S. foreign policy
and American politics. This dialogue was
conducted in Russian and translated into
English.

in the next year. On the other hand, the
Kissinger Commission calls for 7 billion dollars
over the next ten years. These American
dollars will be allocated towards education and
developmental aid for the people of this
troubled region of the world.
Daily: What is your view of the upcoming
election this November?
Makarenko: Reagan should win the election
because he knows better how to deal with the
Communists. Americans should be more fear-
ful and less passive in their perception of the'
spread of communism world wide. America
likes its comfortable convenient lifestyle, but
should be taking more active measures in
halting the spread of communism.
Daily: Many Americans know very little
about real Russian people, but what do you
think real Russians find out in the press and on
TV about Americans?
Makarenko: The papers and TV are only'
propaganda, and terrible distortions of the
truth. Often they hear about the problems of
unemployment and food lines in the inner
cities. Gus hall and Angela Davis (leaders of
the American Communist Party and can-
didates for the presidential office) are heralded
as heroes and leaders of the United States. The
Russians are told that Reagan will win because
he has the capitalist power base and a tremen-
dous amount of money. They are told Reagan's
power is geared to crush the, blacks and the
poor of America, who are the majority of the
people.
Daily: Presently there are questions over
Reagan's restrictions on the rights of the First
Amendment, privacy, and the amount of in-
formation people should be allowed to know on
subjects such as space, computer, military,
and overall technology information. You would
surely agree that freedom of information is one
of America's greatest traits, but how do you
feel about the question of state secrets, which
have been brought up over the controversies in
Grenada and Lebanon?
Makarenko: A certain degree of information
should be withheld so that the Soviets don't
unlock more American technological and in-
telligence secrets. Often the intelligence sour-
ces which intercept Western information are

policy
Makarenko: Freedom. The openness of
society, and the fact that people do say what
they want and think. They ask questions and
tell the truth. People are paid for their service
to society, and people are not accustomed to in-
termittent (or constant) hardships which are
an institutionalized aspect inside the Soviet
Union.,
Daily: Just as you have told us a few of the
good facets of our society, what are the positive
aspects of the Soviet Union?
Makarenko: The people of Russia are essen-
tially warm and loving people. Deep down most
people have a deeply hidden, but real beliefkin
God. The Russian people are compassionate
and their hatred of evil is embodied in coin-
munism. The people hate communism, but
passively cooperate with it because of the con-
sequences if they do not. The Russian people
know what real revolution is, and they are
waiting for the right moment. Every Russian is
his own leader and has a tremendous capacity
to endure adversity. This notion of adversitfis
difficult for Americans to appreciate because
of the comfortable convenient lifestyle they
lead.
Daily: You have been called "an enemy of
the people" continually by the Soviet press
agencies. Your testimony to the Senate Sub-
committee on International Finance and
Monetary Policy in 1982 was pivotal in the
American decision to thwart the development
of the Soviet Yamal Pipeline. Now you tolir
around to different American university cam-
puses all over our nation to spread your
opinions. Why and what do you hope to accom-
plish?
Makarenko: My reception thus far has been
wonderful and I thank the members of te
University community for their warm
welcome. I believe that trade should be halted
with the Soviet Union. By dealing with the
Soviets we the Americans are tacitly conser -
ting to the murdering and imprisonment of in-
noncent people. From my interview on "60
Min4tes'.,and from films and books I have made,
I founded the Resistance Foundation to aid in
the awareness of the millions of victimized in-
dividuals in the Soviet Union.
Dialogue is an occasional feature of the'
Opinion Page.

Daily: Currently, the American stance
toward the Soviet Union is in question. One
thing which everyone agrees on is that nuclear,
war must be avoided. More specifically what
do you believe should be America's foreign
policy towards the Soviet Union and why?
Makarenko: Any economic trade only con-
solidates the power of and aids in the control of
the Soviet Communist Party. Political dialogue
is essential for world peace, but trading with
the Soviets contributes to slave labor and ex-
ploitation of the Soviet people.
Daily: In light of the upcoming election there
is much controversy over U.S. policy in Central
America. When you visited Honduras,
Guatemala, and El Salvador last year how did
you see the struggle there specifically as it ap-
plies to Soviet and American foreign policy?
Makarenko: Every day the USSR is pouring
in millions of dollars into propaganda in Cen-
tral America in their aim to coerce the people
and the governments. The Soviets will spend
what is equivalent to 7 billion dollars on
propaganda and military supplies to the region

Photo by Joe French
Mikhail Makarenko, a Soviet dissident, founded the Resistance Foundation in Washington, D.C.
He believes any economic trade with the Soviet Union strengthens the Communist Party and con-
tributes to slave labor and exploitation of the Soviet people.

misinterpreted and used for military use. I do
not agree that the free access of information is
a wonderful aspect of Western culture. The fact
that anybody can use a Xerox copier is a
tremendous opportunity. Americans can copy

any printed information, whereas in the USSR
people don't have this alternative.
Daily: Many Westerners may be interested to
know what are the aspects of our society which
you find most auspicious?




&i'E IdIgau I a li
Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan

Reagan'sflawed leadership

i .. . .

Vol. XCV, No.33

420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109

Editorials-represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board
A SERIES ON THE PROPOSED CODE

V:

A call to action,

Last in a series

numerous implications for the
student body. It signals a move
toward paternalism on the part
of the University, it shows a disregard
for the freedoms and rights of studen-
ts, and the administration has made
clear its willingness to silence the
student voice - even in matters where
the student body is profoundly affec-
ted. All of these implications call for
action.
The most important action a student
at this University can take is to
become informed. This editorial series
has attempted to provide the
background for a basic and workable
knowledge of the code. It is not a com-
plete examination, however, and
hopefully it will encourage further
study of the issues.
If you support the code, make sure
that you fully understand it and
acknowledge its many, indisputable
flaws. It is our belief that any student
with a full knowledge of the code, its
ramificaitons, and the means that
have been proposed to implement it
would be in opposition.
On the other hand, if you oppose the
code, do not be caught with a lack of
understanding. Activism without
knowledge is a shallow activity and
has a tendency to alienate far more

on the other hand, is the only way for
the student body to work for its own
benefit. With the exception of regents'
bylaw 7.02, there is not a single channel
for student input or influence on this
campus, and the administration has
shown few qualms about taking 7.02
away. Activism is the only alternative
for students concerned about the
quality-of life at this University.
The only substantial student gains
achieved in the history of this Univer-
sity were the, establishment of the
student-cooperative U-Cellar
bookstore and the granting of bylaw
7.02. They were not achieved through
negotiation or out of the ad-
ministration's sense of goodwill, but by
specific, concerted protest. In order to
get cheaper textbooks 107 students
were arrested for taking over the LSA
building while 1,000 others rallied out-
side. The students got their bookstore.
Activism - not necessarily to that
degree - is .the only way to keep the
code from passing. Gather in the Diag,
speak out at the regents' monthly
comments forum, write a letter to
President Shapiro, or make an appoin-
tment with Vice President for Student
Services Henry Johnson. Do anything
to get the University to listen. It would
be worth the effort and may be the last
chance you'll have to affect policies at

By Dave Kopel
If the election were held today,
Ronald Reagan would win,
because he attracts even voters.
who disagree with many of his
policies. More than the
Americans want a particular
direction of policy, Americans
want successful policies. So let's
look at how good a job President
Reagan has done as a leader.
When Ronald Reagan opened
his 1980 presidential campaign,
he said that America should be
"a shining city on a hill." After
Vietnam and Watergate sand the
hostages, most Americans felt
Aierica was down in the gutter,
not up on the hill. President
Reagan has brought back op-
timistic patriotism to the United
States.
OF COURSE part of the reason
Reagan has been so effective at
restoringhpatriotism is that he is
a better television president than
even John Kennedy. Some people
sneer at Reagan because he
works hard at being good on
television. Television, however,
is among the most important
ways the president unites and in-
spires the nation. One of the key
factors behind Franklin
Roosevelt's success was his radio
"fireside chats" with his friends,
the American people. Great
presidents are great com-
municators, and as a com-
municator, Ronald Reagan ranks
among the greatest in American
history.
Unfortunately, other aspects of
Reagan's performance as a
leader haven't been so outstan-
ding. The president is the man
responsible formmoldingand
carrying out American foreign
policy. One of the things we
should have learned from Jimmy
Carter is that a consistent policy,
even if partially wrong, is better
than confusing zig-zags from one
policy to another.
The Reagan foreign policy
seems to be nothing but a set of

made foreign policy well - like
Franklin Roosevelt and Harry
Truman - chose their objectives
carefully, and then made certain
to apply enough force to ensure
victory. By invading Grenada
with a force seven times larger
than the defending Cuban
colonial army, Reagan acted as
Roosevelt or Truman would
have.
But Roosevelt and Truman
would not have sent the Marines
to die in Lebanon. Not onto an
airfield surrounded by hills and
mountains from which the enemy
could shell American troops. If
Reagan had bothered to read
more newspapers during his
'More than -.anything
else, the president is
a moral leader. What
kind of example has
Ronald Reagan set for
the nation? He honors
bigots like Jerry
Falwell and Jimmy
Swaggert. He doesn't
believe that people go)
hungry in America.'
lifetime, he might have heard
about Dien Bien Phu. At the bat-
tle of Dien Bien Phu, Communist
General Giap's guerillas
destroyed the French colonial
army in Indochina. The French
had decided to fight the decisive
battle of the war from a fort in a
valley that was surrounded by
mountains controlled by the
Communists. Great presidents
like Theodore and Franklin
Roosevelt, and John Kennedy,
understood military history and
studied strategists like
Clausewitz and Admiral Mahan.

Reagan's knowledge of military
history seems limited to what he
picked up during World War II,
which he spent in Hollywood.
The president is commander-
in-chief of the 'armed forces -
a role on which the safety of the
nation, and the survival of the
human species may depend. It is
a role for which strong, in-
telligent leadership is absolutely
essential. At this crucial leader-
ship role, Reagan fails badly, not
only by sending Marines into un-
tenable positions, but also by not
taking the trouble to learn about
nuclear warfare.
IN 1982, he told the press that
one of the advantages of sub-
marine-launched nuclear cruise
missiles was that they could be
recalled! Not until mid-way
through his term did he discover
that most Soviet nuclear weapons
are based on land, not in sub-
marines. Hemust know that if he
miscalculates in a tricky
situation (like the Cuban missile
crisis), his mistakes might
trigger a nuclear holocaust; yet
he won't go to the trouble of lear-
ning whether missiles can be
recalled or not. He is too ignorant
and too lazy to be commander-in-
chief.
Much of the decision-making
that most presidents do them-
selves, President Reagan leaves
to his subordinates. Delegating
decision-making is not
necessarily the mark of a weak
leader; after all, Jimmy Carter
failed as president partly
because he did not know how to
delegate. But delegating to men
of low calibre is the mark of a
poor leader. Reagan's attorney
general, a lightweight named
William French Smith, was a
partner in a big Los Angeles law
firm, where he drummed up lots
of business, but didn't practice


much law. Smith's designated
successor, Ed Meese, proves that
you don't need to obey the
American Bar Association Code
of Professional Responsibility to
be attorney general. The
secretary of defense, Caspar
Weinberger, ignores billions in
Pentagon waste, and spends-his
time feuding with the secretary
of state over who's in charge of
American foreign policy.

To protect the environment,
Reagan sends Anne Gorsuch Bur-
ford, Rita Lavelle, and James
Watt. To protect consumers,
Reagan appointed a chairman of
the, Federal Trade Commission,
James Miller, III, who did not
believe that the government
should ban the sale of life vests
that don't work. He reasoned that
lawsuits by the victims' families
would be sufficient to deal with
the problem.
MORE THAN anything else,
the president is ar horal leader.
What kind of example has Ronald
Reagan set for the nation? He
honors bigots like Jerry Falwell
and Jimmy Stewart. He- doesn't
believe that people go hungry in
America. He sells electric shock
police batons to South Africa. He
supports tax exemptions for
racist schools, and speculated
that Marther Luther King might.
have been a Communist.
A strong president fulfills his
duties as a commander-in-chief. A
great president fills the gover-
nment with men and women of
distinction. A wise leader knows
the difference between right and
wrong, and stands up against
religious and racial bigotry.
That's why I'm going to vote for a
man who will succeed where
Reagan doesn't even try -
Walter Mondale.

40

Kopel is a third year law
student.
by Berke Breathed

BLOOM COUNTY