MOSCOW -- Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, who died last week after a long and dehumanizing struggle with Alzheimer's disease, will be remembered by most as one of the last great figures of the 20th century.
Not a wise man of American politics and hardly a good manager of the White House, he nevertheless secured a honorable place for himself in history through remarkable vision, determination and perseverance. Many American presidents were smarter than he was; few were as can-do-minded as the former Hollywood actor. Reagan was a warrior of many battlefields -- from the domestic economy to international diplomacy. The Cold War was one.
It was common for American intellectuals to look down on Reagan. Indeed, it was hard to dispute the lack of sophistication and the plain ignorance that he often displayed. A catchphrase of the 1980s said he didn't know how much he didn't know. Paradoxically enough, it was exactly this lack of intellectual luster that made the president a tough opponent for the Soviets.