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Yesterday Russian state media announced the death of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the USSR, aged 91.
Russia expert Matthew Sussex writes that Gorbachev became known for attempting to open up the Soviet Union’s economy, society and politics, and “encouraging hope and debate rather than stifling it”.
Sussex writes that he had an “enduring belief in enlightened progress” and a kind of “humanism, flawed though it was”.
His approach notably contrasts with that of current-day Russia under president Vladimir Putin, “which has turned its back on modernity, cultivating a culture of victimhood and glorifying Russian chauvinism in the cynical pursuit of personal power”.
Ultimately though, Gorbachev became viewed domestically as a “foolish leader” who engendered the collapse of the USSR. And the abject failure of his economic policies means his period in Soviet leadership will be remembered by what could have been, rather than what came to be.
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Liam Petterson
Deputy Politics Editor
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Matthew Sussex, Australian National University
Like other tragic reformers in history, Gorbachev’s chief legacy is to remind us about what might have been, rather than what subsequently transpired.
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Monica Attard, University of Technology Sydney
Monica Attard witnessed the death throes of the USSR – and the birth of a brave new world – as the ABC’s Russia foreign correspondent. In 2022, a return to an Orwellian regime looms.
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Michael Lucy, The Conversation
A microscope slide that can diagnose cancer, mapping how what we eat affects the environment, and an effort to track bushfire damage are among the winners at Australia’s leading scientific awards.
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Beth Driscoll, The University of Melbourne; Susannah Bowen, The University of Melbourne
Fewer than 1% of Australian publishing professionals are First Nations and only 8.5% have an Asian cultural identity.
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Andrew King, The University of Melbourne
The flooding in Pakistan is the latest in a sequence of exceptional disasters in the Northern Hemisphere. How much is climate change to blame?
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Sarah Bennett, University of Nottingham
Conspiracy theories help people make sense of chaos and tragedy by finding a ‘reason’ behind the coincidences.
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Adrian Lee, Deakin University
While authorities such as the Reserve Bank often see them as risky, interest-only loans can be helpful in some circumstances.
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Amy Pennay, La Trobe University; Gabriel Caluzzi, La Trobe University; Sarah J MacLean, La Trobe University
The different reactions this month to the alcohol consumption of two world leaders show how gendered the perceptions around drinking are.
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Margaret Cook, University of the Sunshine Coast; Andrea Gaynor, The University of Western Australia; Lionel Frost, Monash University; Peter Spearritt, The University of Queensland; Ruth Morgan, Australian National University
Australian politicians have a history of opting for high-cost, high-emissions desalination projects. The Queensland government is still wary of using the largely untapped resource of recycled water.
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Health + Medicine
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Letitia Campbell, Western Sydney University
Caregivers of children with ear disease said they’d noticed them talking loudly, turning up the TV or devices, being distracted, talking in class, ‘not listening’ or not responding.
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Gemma Paech, University of Newcastle; Gorica Micic, Flinders University
Brown noise sounds like the ocean and some people say it helps them sleep. Here’s what the science actually says.
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David Lubans, University of Newcastle; Angus Leahy, University of Newcastle
Physical activity levels decline during the teenage years. Introducing your teen to high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is one way to get them moving and feeling better.
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Science + Technology
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Byron Lamont, Curtin University
Millions of years before dinosaur footsteps first set tremors through the Earth, this flowering plant family was already thriving – and you can still find them in gardens today.
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Environment + Energy
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Felicity Deane, Queensland University of Technology
Biodiversity market schemes can help – but they are not a silver bullet, and can be gamed if poorly designed.
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Benjamin Kaufman, Griffith University; Ainsley Hughes, University of Newcastle
On-demand public transit can rival car ownership in convenience, while cutting emissions and cost, and simultaneously encouraging a mode shift towards public transport.
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Arts + Culture
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Esther Anatolitis, RMIT University
LinkedIn called creativity ‘the most important skill in the world’ – it should be central to Labor’s jobs summit.
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Sian Mitchell, Deakin University
Grief is messy, surprising, revealing and honest at different times and all at once. Here, it is also funny.
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Business + Economy
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Guay Lim, The University of Melbourne; Viet Nguyen, The University of Melbourne
The surveyed Australians who changed jobs in 2021 switched for less than if they had stayed.
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Brendan Coates, Grattan Institute; Tyler Reysenbach, Grattan Institute
“Business investment visas” are more likely to fund corner shops than innovation.
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