The Gorbachev Foundation

Switzerland

Alexander Likhotal has served as chief advisor to President Gorbachev for many years, was Deputy Spokesman for the President of the USSR, and has held a number of academic positions in Russia/USSR and the U.S.A. He received his Ph.D in Political Science from the Institute of International Affairs in Moscow, and was chief analyst of NATO politics in the International Department of the Central Committee of the CPSU. He is the Vice President of Green Cross International, based in Geneva, Switzerland.

President and CEO of Green Cross International since 1996, Alexander Likhotal was born in Moscow in 1950.

PhD on Political Science in History from Moscow Institute of International Relations (1972), Mr. Likhotal started his academic career as a lecturer at the Moscow State Institute for International Affairs, and later became senior research fellow at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the USSR.

In 1988 he became Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the Diplomatic Academy, and in the same year was appointed Vice Rector.

During the spell of Gorbachev’s perestroika, being already a well known expert in the field of European security, he became the Head of the European security desk at the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (top Soviet foreign policy co-ordination body), later becoming Head of the Consultants Group, adviser/speechwriter unit working directly for the Soviet leadership.

In 1991 Mr. Likhotal was appointed Deputy Spokesman and Adviser to the President of the USSR. He has stayed with President Gorbachev after his resignation as his adviser and spokesman and worked at the Gorbachev Foundation as the International and Media Director. He was visiting professor at the Northeastern University, Boston, USA (1996-1998), Research Associate at the institute of European Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow (1992 - 1997) and Associate Editor of Security Dialogue Journal, Oslo, Norway (1994-2000). He is the author of several books and numerous articles.

Alexander Likhotal is married, has one daughter.