European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 17, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Age 10 the stars and stripes columns Michael Putzel Gorbachev will resist Challenge to party Rule soviet president Mikhail Gorba Chev s dropping of his staunch opposition to a multiparty system is a logical Extension of his drive to permit a broader expression and competitive elections for Public office. Though Gorbachev s statement that he can Sec no tragedy in a multiparty system constitutes a recognition of existing political reality in some soviet republics it could spawn fractious ctr Nic Orion cd parties with Little concern for the Union. It also might doom the 70-year-old communist political apparatus that operates parallel to and wields More Power than the government at All lev Els of soviet society. The Kremlin s Eastern european allies have challenged their own communist leaders in recent months. But in the soviet Union where the first democratic reforms began nearly five years ago. Gorbachev and the top leadership have steadfastly refused to re Linquish the party s position As the Only legally recognized political entity. Members of the democratic Union a tiny but outspoken group that brazenly Calls itself an opposition party have been routinely subjected to detention arrest and even beatings by authorities who have Learned to tolerate Many other forms of dissent. Since the communists obliterated their political opposition in the first years after the bolshevik revolution in 1917. The ruling party has controlled not just the political sphere but All walks of life. Party membership was a prerequisite to professional advancement. Party officials determined what children were taught what people could read and where they could work. The party now 20 million Strong also served As a unifying Force bringing together and exercising Power Over the More than 100 nationalities and ethnic groups making up the vast soviet Union. Opponents of multiparty Rule have suggested that if the communist monopoly were broken the Union would disintegrate into dozens of parochial parties vying for the support of the narrow eth Nic groups concentrated in each Republic and Region. Martin Gottlieb As recently As Friday Only a Day before conceding he would be willing to tolerate other political parties Gorbachev warned of the hazards of such a system. He argued that the communist party could serve As a forum for multiple views. Haven t you and i seen and known during our Long life that even with 10 or 20 parties the most cruel dictatorships formed and flourished he asked during a visit to a collective farm in Independence minded Lithuania. And will a multiparty system save society no it is the regime that deter mines who lives How and who breathes How he said. Just look he added with Only one communist party of the soviet Union How Many opinions we have. And How much plurality democracy under a one party system. How Many Public move ments. I Welcome  in reality Lithuania already has at least two political parties vying for offi Cial recognition. One. Referred to As the Independent communist party of Lithuania is the majority party in the Republic. It has voted to break with Moscow and pursue its own course prompting the visit by Gorbachev and other party leaders. The other calling itself the communist party of Lithuania platform cps. Is made up of party stalwarts still Loyal to Moscow who left the Republic s party. In other republics local popular front groups have fielded candidates for legislative posts in opposition to communists and in Latvia on saturday Abri l 200 environmental activists announced the formation of a Green party with goals similar to those of the greens in Western Europe. In Estonia social democrats from several european countries held an inter National conference sponsored by the so Cial democratic political organization in that Baltic Republic. Gorbachev who last May was elected to a five year term As president but whose real Power still resides in his leadership of the party refused during the Congress of people s deputies session last month to permit consideration of revoking the party s constitutional monopoly on Power. And he has been Quick to put Down the Congress fledgling and loosely knit opposition which Calls itself the inter regional group. But the Kremlin chief is by his own account a political realist. His comments saturday reflected More an acknowledge ment of the political forces at work than an endorsement of the concept. I see no tragedy in a multiparty sys tem and i can Tell you this straightforwardly if it arises As a result Ofa nor Mal historical process and answers the needs of society he said. Still a multiparty system is no cure All. What we really need is glasnost and democratization and genuine participation of the  Michael Puntiel is chief of the a Bureau in Moscow . Should evaluate role As world s policeman the whole of american foreign policy these Days May be undermining the purpose of the parts. You can adequately defend the american invasion of Panama As an act that was forced upon Washington by a regime that was threatening americans. And you can adequately defend the use of american Force in the Philippines As just a Little bit of help for democracy rather than for a particular politician. And you can defend american support in Al Salva Dor for a seriously flawed regime As a defense of the electoral process a defense of self determination. In each Case the announced cause is democracy. But if that cause becomes associated with american guns and american Money would be dictators and their supporters arc Given useful nationalist fodder. American intervention in the affairs of smaller nations used to be justified As a necessary evil in a world that had another superpower one that had no com functions about interference and no belief in self de termination. But at least for now that other superpower has not Only Given up dreams of International expansion it is actually turning Loose its own satellites. Washington has to ask itself whether its cold War foreign policy is continuing because of inertia. This country has developed ties for cold War reasons to certain forces in Al Salvador and the Philippines. We continue to Foster those causes though the reasons for the ties arc fading. Suppose f9r example the philippine government were to kick our military bases out of that country. So what of course the United states cannot immediately with draw its support from old friends on the grounds that they arc not needed anymore. But if that truth is carried too far. It won t be Long before the United states is seen As the Only superpower Likely to interfere in the politics of other nations. Is that the identity we want there has been some change in american for eign policy Over the years. Supporting Corazon Aquino is certainly better than supporting Ferdinand Marcos. Even in Al Salvador we have at least tried to Foster real democracy rather than getting behind some corrupt dictator As we did in Days of old in Nicaragua and other venues. In Panama our moral position is no doubt about it greatly strengthened by the fact that we arc supporting a legitimately elected president. And we have changed in another crucial Way we Are no longer willing to Send Many thousands of americans soldiers Inlo full blown wars against powerful foes. All these changes reflect a bipartisan consensus from the right comes insistence on opposing communists from the left comes insistence on supporting Only worthy non communists. From every ideological Point comes fear of another Vietnam. Before this consensus emerged Contention had be come the Norm in american foreign policy. And the professionals in the Field started to say that the first need is to minimize that Contention in the name of consistency. So when bipartisan agreement begins to emerge it is greeted As an end in itself. And if democrats and republicans hate Noriega equally great let s celebrate our Unity and charge. But the International political spectrum does t extend Only from mainstream democrats to main Stream republicans. To Many outside our Borders the highest value in International affairs is not democracy but self determination and that term is defined not As democracy but As the Resolution of disputes by whatever Means internally. After Vietnam we asked ourselves As a nation whether we can be the policeman of the world. For the moment the bipartisan answer seems to be yes so Long As there Are not great costs in american lives and so Long As the cause is democracy. Dubious As that answer is the question is worse. The More appropriate question now is Why in the world would we want to be the policeman of the world coi news a Vic