The name of Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev is the first one that comes to my mind in this respect. Highly honored in the West, always subjected to a round of applause, Gorbachev is truly basking in the rays of glory. 

What exactly did he do to join the ranks of leaders respected by the international community?

Here is the simple four-step recipe of successful leadership from Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev that could also bring the laurels and worldwide recognition to some modern Post-Soviet statesmen:

1. Mediate a peaceful resolution of ethno-political conflicts

Though Mikhail Sergeevich still receives bitter criticism for having sent tanks to combat peaceful nationalistic demonstrations in Vilnus and Tbilisi, the number of victims could have been higher if Gorbachev had chosen to employ a stubborn authoritarian-style pertinent to the leaders of those times, in the process of ethnic conflicts resolution.

2. Acknowledge the role of the political opponent

Although a Kremlin PR stunt, Gorbachev’s decision to return the prominent political opposition figure, Andrei Sakharov, from inner exhile (in the city of Gorky) made a huge impact on the development of political pluralism in the Soviet Union. By expressing such attitude towards the political opposition Mikhail Sergeevich managed to prove that his actions were consistent with his words about glasnost’ and perestroika.

3. Kill the ruling political party

Gorbachev’s determination to bring democracy to the USSR manifested itself in a Supreme Council decree as of 1991 that banned the ruling Communist Party. Unfortunately, however, despite the Communist Party ban, some rudiments of the old party elites were preserved and later gave life to newly refreshed authoritarian regimes.

4. Leave the office in the gentleman-like fashion

Having declared the end of his term in the office, Gorbachev drove away from his presidential residence seemingly into nowhere. Note that Mikhail Sergeevich managed to do without special forces spraying tear gas at protesters. Perhaps it could have been due to his high personal integrity, perhaps, due to the influence of the wise woman, Raisa, who had been next to him all these years.

In conclusion, one could say that while Gorbachev’s intentions may seem to be half-hearted to many, nevertheless, they were to push the country in the right direction. One could also attempt to ask the following question – what if Yanukovych would agree to take leadership master classes from Mikhail Sergeevich?

Anna Kirillova is a freelance writer in Kyiv.