Former U.S.S.R. President Mikhail Gorbachev will speak in Bender Arena Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m, the Student Confederation and Kennedy Political Union announced Thursday.
"[The Gorbachev speech] is the biggest speech in four years," SC President Nick Terzulli said. "It's gigantic. It's on par with the Dalai Llama and President Clinton."
The event was announced late due to the surprise contact from representatives of Gorbachev to KPU Director Eric Morley two weeks ago.
Gorbachev had been planning a trip to the D.C. area and contacted AU in order to schedule an event, Morley said.
The KPU press release states that the event "marks his only public address for the duration of his stay."
"Not only is he coming to speak, he asked for a copy of President Kennedy's non-proliferation speech [from the 1963 commencement]," Terzulli said. "He may be including some of the points in his speech."
"We're hoping to have C-SPAN cover it," Morley said.
Gorbachev will present a speech on the need for international cooperation in a post 9-11 world, according to Morley.
"He will [be] speaking on the lessons the world has learned since the end of the Cold War," Terzulli said.
Morley is optimistic of the turnout for the event, even with the short notice.
"There's more of a buzz associated with it," Morley said. "We have seating for 2,000 and I expect there to be a line. All the seating will be front facing."
Gorbachev entered the international spotlight after being elected General Secretary of the Communist Party Politburo in 1985. In 1986, he instituted two programs to modernize the U.S.S.R., known as Glasnost (openness) and Perestroika (transformation), according to Time Magazine. These programs have largely been noted as bringing an end to the Cold War, according to the KPU statement.
During the collapse of the U.S.S.R. from 1990 to 1991, Gorbachev served as the first and only president before the union officially disbanded. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 for his efforts.
Gorbachev is expected to speak for half an hour with a half hour of questions to follow. Morley expects Gorbachev to speak for a half hour or more.
"Once I turn it over to him, it's in his hands." Morley said.
