Fareed Zakaria:The man who made a world of difference By Sudheendra Kulkarni May 25, 2008

A truly great leader is one who recognises the need for deep-going change in the society in which he lives and sets out to bring it about with courage of conviction and sincere adherence to non-violent means. Gorbachev, after becoming the chief of the Soviet communist party in 1985 at a remarkably young age (for his country) of 54, embarked on a mission that was hitherto unthinkable: introduce openness (glasnost) and restructuring (perestroika) in a secretive, oppressive, inefficent and unsustainable system of governance.