The U.S. and the Commonwealth of Independent States must change and work together to bring about a better future, said former President of the Soviet Union Mikhail S. Gorbachev at the Kennedy School of Government Friday.

The former Secretary-General spoke through a translator before a crowd of 600 at the Arco Forum, his last stop in a two-week tour of presidential institutions in the U.S.

Saying that it is time for America to decide on a new international role, Gorbachev argued that the legacy of John F. Kennedy '40 is needed now more than ever.

"The new role not be based on strength, on force, but on more... democratic traditions, ways of cooperating with other countries to face these challenges," he said. "As a friend of this country and a person that believes in this country and a person that believes in this country and has faith in democratic traditions, I want to wish [that] the American people make the right decision."

Gorbachev, who spoke earlier at the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston, referred repeatedly to kennedy during his remarks, as did Kennedy School Dean Albert Carnesale and President Neil L. Rudenstine, both of whom introduced the former world leader.

Gorbachev said that his positive experiences with America lead him to believe that the nation will make the right choice regarding its future role.

"I think that this nation is capable of self- analysis," said Gorbachev. "A nation like this is always capable of coping with the problems that it encounters."

He cautioned, however, that the U.S. must continue to take an active part in foreign affairs. "You probably know that there is still a view in the world that Americans are a little complacent and that Americans are not very interested in what is happening...on the other side of the ocean," Gorbachev said.

The former Soviet leader praised what he called "the long-standing American tradition to be responsive to the hardships of other nations."

Gorbachev placed a particular emphasis on the need for continued U.S.-Russian cooperation.

"We must make sure that now, at this time, our two nations do not go their separate ways as they did after World War II. I hope that we can be together," he said at the end of his speech.

During the question and answer session that followed his talk, Gorbachev said he is confident that the newly-formed Russian Federation will prosper. "Society cannot be turned back. It will continue to move forward," he said.

He acknowledged that the process would be difficult because it requires changes in the minds and the beliefs of the Russian people. However, he said that if he had attempted to change the Soviet property system before making greater changes in the society, he would have been removed from office within a few days.

Gorbachev said he will discuss his policies in more detail in the book that he is writing, but declared, "I do not regret the choice I made in 1985."

He said that the Cold War's aftereffects, includ- ing built-up defense systems and a history ofmistrust between the United States and the SovietUnion, would make change more difficult.

One questioner, Nick Daniloff, a formerNewsweek correspondent to the Soviet Union,asked Gorbachev for an explanation of why he wasarrested in 1986 following the arrest of a Sovietscientist in New York City.