RL 316/91 August 29, 1991 SHEVARDNADZE'S VINDICATION Suzanne Crow Since his resignation from the post of USSR foreign minister in December, 1990, Eduard Shevardnadze has made a career of urging democrats to unite against the reactionaries. With the collapse of the coup, Shevardnadze congratulated citizens on giving birth to a new country and a new democracy. In his resignation speech of December 20, 1990, Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze warned that "dictatorship is coming" and called on Soviet democrats to oppose right-wing reactionaries. While he expressed disappointment with the failure of Soviet citizens to press convincingly for political reform, he presciently concluded his speech by expressing his belief "that dictatorship will not succeed" and "that the future belongs to democracy and freedom."1 During the eight months between his resignation and the coup, Shevardnadze distanced himself from previous positions. While initially being careful to emphasize his continuing support for President Mikhail Gorbachev, Shevardnadze gradually became openly critical of the Soviet leader. Following the bloody crackdowns in the Baltic republics, Shevardnadze said: "It is hard to believe" that Gorbachev knew nothing of military plans to attack.2 Shevardnadze also began to stress that "nobody defended me" against the hard-liners, a reference to Gorbachev's failure to support his foreign minister against right-wing criticism.3 During the coup, Shevardnadze himself mooted the possibility that Gorbachev had been involved in the plot: "If [Gorbachev] participated in this dirty deed, he must assume responsibility before his own people."4 In the wake of the coup, Shevardnadze became even more strenuous in his criticism of Gorbachev. During an interview on August 23 with CNN, he said that he had "certain questions" about Gorbachev's role before and during the coup. He also stated that he would not agree to work again under the leadership of Gorbachev, asserting that Gorbachev "had committed...an illusion." In his resignation speech, Shevardnadze still affirmed his belief in communism, but he was soon criticizing this ideology. In an article that appeared in an English newspaper in April, 1991, Shevardnadze stated, for example: For better or worse, I am a representative of a country which has...made ill-conceived attempts to create a "new man," a "new society," a "new way of life," and, in essence, a new order of things....The end results of these experiments are now well known.5 Shevardnadze's refusal to appear before the CPSU Control Commission and his subsequent resignation from the Party ended his days as a Communist. The Coup Shevardnadze was one of the few politicians to appear early on in opposition to the coup. Speaking in front of the Russian parliament on the afternoon of August 20, he told the crowd: "You and I are not afraid" of the coup leaders.6 Criticizing those who failed to stand up against the coup leaders, Shevardnadze said: "Politicians should be where the people are." He described the junta as a reactionary group and said that their takeover marked the "end of a peaceful existence, the start of the cold war, the new beginning of an arms race, and the start of clashes between our own peoples, between republics." As the coup collapsed, Shevardnadze applauded the efforts of the democrats who had forced the reactionaries to back down. "I congratulate you," he said. "A new country has been born. A new democracy."7 Democracy Since his resignation, Shevardnadze has made a career of trying to persuade Soviet democrats to assert their right to a democratic system. He set up the Foreign Policy Association in February, 1991, in order to encourage a broader discussion of foreign policy issues. He also helped to found the Movement for Democratic Reforms in late June, 1991, and called for the creation of a centrist party inside the "Democratic Russia" movement. All of these steps were designed to set up alternatives to the CPSU. Shevardnadze balked at hard-liners' accusations that democrats like himself were trying to grab power. "So what's wrong with that? That's what an opposition is for!"8 With the defeat of the coup, Shevardnadze showed himself to be severely at odds with the leadership of President Gorbachev. He faulted Gorbachev for failing to appear at the Moscow rally following the collapse of the coup. He also refused to work under Gorbachev on his Security Council.9 Future Options Shevardnadze is rumored to have multiple options beyond returning to the post of foreign minister of the USSR, a position that he has rejected outright, arguing: "When there is no USSR, what do you need a minister for?"10 One of Shevardnadze's reasons for rejecting a seat on a reformed Security Council was, he said, that Gorbachev had failed to explain sufficiently the duties and rights of the body and its members. Indicating his irritation with Gorbachev's inclusion of his name on a list of potential candidates, Shevardnadze observed: "I should be asked what I think of my own future."11 Apart from remaining in politics in the USSR, either in an elected or appointed position, Shevardnadze is rumored to be a candidate for the post of UN secretary-general. "If...someone suggests me [for the job]," he has said, "I would look into it."12 He has also revealed that former US Secretary of State George Shultz has assured him of "a university teaching position, good salary, and nice apartment" should Shevardnadze wish to leave the Soviet Union.13 By mentioning these various options, Shevardnadze seems not to have ruled them out. But, in view of the performance of democratic forces in fending off the right-wing takeover, Shevardnadze may be encouraged to keep working for democracy in the Soviet Union. ^ 1 TASS, December 20, 1990. 2 Jonathan Steele, "Red Army Coup 'a Growing Threat,'" The Guardian, May 1, 1991. 3 Don Oberdorfer, "Behind the Shevardnadze Resignation," The Washington Post, May 8, 1991. 4 Moskovsky komsomolets, August 23, 1991. 5 Eduard Shevardnadze, "A Democratic Way with World Affairs," The Guardian, April 3, 1991. 6 Moskovsky komsomolets, August 23, 1991. 7 AFP, August 22, 1991. 8 AFP, August 12, 1991. 9 Interfax, August 29, 1991. 10 AFP, August 26, 1991. 11 Interfax, August 29, 1991. 12 Bild am Sonntag, May 5, 1991. 13 Reuters, August 25, 1991.