The day the Wall came down: Bewildered East German border guards puzzle over whether to shake the hands of their former adversaries from the West, on November 9, 1989.
Yes – today is the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. A reading of this op-ed by former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev shows, however, that the wounds that divide Russia and the West – and even Europe’s East and West – are far from being healed.
For Rossijskaya Gazeta, a newspaper that he partly owns, Mikhail Gorbachev writes of the fall of the Wall in 1989, who is most responsible for the end of the Cold War, and what remains to be done to secure a truly united Europe:
“Immediately after the end of the Cold War, we discussed the creation of new mechanisms to ensure security on our continent. There was talk of a European Security Council or a ‘directorate’ that would have broad and real authority. Such proposals were put forward by the USSR, Germany and the United States.
“Unfortunately, events took a different trajectory. This has affected all European institutions and has slowed the construction of a united Europe. Instead of the old dividing lines, new ones appeared. Europe was again rocked by war and bloodshed [reference to the breakup of Yugoslavia]. … A lack of trust and outdated stereotypes remain. Russia is suspected of evil and even aggressive imperialistic intentions. I was amazed at the June letter written by politicians of Central and Eastern Europe that was addressed to President Obama. It was in fact a call to abandon the policy of engagement with Russia.”
“In Europe, unfortunately, there are many politicians who would like to impose an unequal model of relations with Russia: a ‘teacher – student’ or ‘prosecutor – defendant’ type of relationship. Russia will not accept such a model. She wants to be understood. We stand for equality and mutually-advantageous cooperation.”
By Mikhail Gorbachev, former USSR president
Translated By Igor Medvedev
November 7, 2009
Russia – Rossijskaya Gazeta – Original Article (Russian)
1989 was a turning point for developments in Europe and the world. History sharply accelerated. The symbol of this acceleration was the fall of the Berlin Wall. In the countries of central and eastern Europe, “Velvet Revolutions” occurred. Totalitarian and authoritarian regimes left the historical arena.
READ ON AT WORLDMEETS.US, your most trusted translator and aggregator of foreign news and views about our nation.
Founder and Managing Editor of Worldmeets.US