Regardless of the scope of their contribution, many iconic leaders are often reduced to a single sound byte or single speech: "We have nothing to fer but fear itself", "Ask not what your country can do for you...", and for Ronald Reagan "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" This November marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the beginning of the end of the Cold War. In his new book X, Time magazine deputy managing editor Romesh Ratnesar deconsturcts the speech and the remarkable events that brought it about.
Ultimately, Ratnesar argues that Reagan's speech offers lessons for the political problems of today. That it should reminds us that historically, thing that once seemed immutable DO change.
My conversation with Romesh Ratnesar:
