Tom Brokaw Reports On A Half-Century Of History Around The World | NBC News

Veteran NBC News correspondent Tom Brokaw reflects on his career reporting from the front lines of global geopolitical shifts, particularly the collapse of the Soviet Union and the transformation of China. Brokaw details his 1987 interview with Mikhail Gorbachev, whom he credits alongside Nelson Mandela as a pivotal figure who fundamentally changed the world by challenging entrenched systems. The discussion contrasts the peaceful fall of the Berlin Wall with the violent crackdown at Tiananmen Square, where Brokaw used a hidden bicycle camera to capture exclusive footage of the military presence. Shifting to contemporary challenges, Brokaw identifies Vladimir Putin as a dangerous nationalist and highlights climate change as the most critical, yet divisive, undercovered story today. These historical milestones illustrate an enduring lesson: the ultimate power of human response to captivity and the inevitable movement of political tectonic plates.