new york former soviet leader mikhail gorbachev celebrate west champion democracy help end cold war see little chance russia turn czarist-reminiscent strongman government anytime come decades u.s. author new biography say monday pulitzer prize-winning william taubman interview gorbachev 86 eight time gorbachev life time say reuters global market forum online chat room gorbachev widely dislike russia edit excerpt question russians see gorbachev popular 1980s answer widely despise russia people blame collapse ussr loss empire economic crash accompany collapse also seem rate weak indecisive leader russian president vladimir putin ignore gorbachev even memorialize much russian history putin gain ignore criticize gorbachev many ways putin program opposite gorbachev s. gorbachev bequeath program namely reverse russia dissatisfaction today apparently grow economic condition worsen putin rally support annex crimea depict west russia enemy invoke old czarist trinity principles autocracy nationality orthodox religion gorbachev much hope see democratic government gorbachev say might take decades democratize russia even whole 21st century man hop see democracy come ussr short years gorbachev content late life insist imagine really innate optimism may sustain addition political attack continue live largely alone except bodyguards chefs chauffeur big house suburbs interview conduct reuters global market forum chat room host eikon platform gorbachev see russian democracy far biographer taubman