Update, 9/12: Former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev has had to cancel his U.S. tour due to health reasons. As a result, he is no longer scheduled to appear at Lisner Auditorium on October 1.
He unleashed forces that ended an empire. He confronted the worst nuclear accident the world has ever seen. He withdrew from a costly and unpopular war—in Afghanistan. He wanted to save communism and the Soviet Union but was responsible for their demise. He now worries about the future of Mother Russia. From Perestroika to Putin, his story is history.
In a special conversation, former USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev will talk about his story and experience as the last leader of the Soviet Union.
Frank Sesno, director of the School of Media and Public Affairs, will interview Mr. Gorbachev on Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in Lisner Auditorium. The event will be Mr. Gorbachev’s only public appearance in Washington, D.C., this year.
“Mikhail Gorbachev is one of the most historic figures of our time,” said Mr. Sesno. “His reforms led to the end of an empire and literally changed the planet. I am delighted that the School of Media and Public Affairs has the opportunity to host this conversation with Mikhail Gorbachev so we can hear firsthand about his role in ending the Cold War and his thoughts on where the world is headed today."
Mr. Gorbachev served as leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991 and was a 1997 recipient of the GW President’s Medal. He founded Green Cross International, an environmental organization with a mission to help ensure a just, sustainable and secure future for all by fostering a value shift and cultivating a new sense of global interdependence and shared responsibility in humanity’s relationship with nature.
Tickets for the event, titled “His Story Is History: A Conversation with Mikhail Gorbachev,” are free but required and will be available starting Sept. 17.
The conversation with Mr. Gorbachev is sponsored by the School of Media and Public Affairs, the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, the Elliott School of International Affairs, the Graduate School of Political Management, the GW Media Student Community Council, the GW Student Association and the Offices of the Provost and President.
Tickets will be available to GWorld-holding students, faculty and staff from Sept. 17 to Sept. 20 in person at the Lisner Auditorium box office. One ticket per GW ID. The event will also be livestreamed and live-tweeted at #gorbachev. Questions about the event can be directed to smpacomm
gwu [dot] edu (smpacomm[at]gwu[dot]edu) or submitted via Google moderator form.