When in August 1961, the Soviet Union erected a 13-foot-high wall through Berlin to halt the flow of millions of people from the eastern part to the western part, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) dubbed it a “barrier against fascism”. It kept Germany divided for the next 28 years. “A wall is a hell of a lot better than a war,” was the initial, circumspect response from U.S. President John F. Kennedy, who was also not unmindful of the economic repercussions for the Eastern Bloc from mass emigration. At its 20th anniversary in 1981, Erich Honecker, the GDR’s head of state, thundered that the wall may stand for another hundred years. When the wall finally came crumbling down on November 9, 1989, it was seen as symbolising the end of the Cold War. It also conjured up images of the beginnings of a borderless world. Paradoxically, the freedom supposedly restored for the peoples of Eastern Europe on that fateful night 25 years ago seems to be in peril even today. The current opposition to freedom of movement within the member-states of the European Union is targeted at the countries that were admitted to the bloc only a decade ago. Compounding this is the tide of nationalism and jingoism sweeping across the continent. The bloodletting now witnessed on Europe’s borders stands in stark contrast to the non-violent political transformation in Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and of course East Germany.
The western powers know full well that Russia’s annexation of Crimea early this year and its backing to rebel groups in Ukraine are not unrelated to the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation to encompass the former Eastern Bloc countries. Moreover, NATO’s muscle-flexing vis-à-vis territories that have long been part of Moscow’s sphere of influence does not exactly strengthen economic interdependence between the regions, especially in the arena of energy supplies. Similarly, the regime of economic sanctions, which has inevitably triggered Russian retaliation and produced a crippling effect on business interests at home, is if anything a self-fulfilling proposition. Vladimir Putin’s recent utterances suggest that he may not be in any great hurry to relent. Mikhail Gorbachev’s warning over the weekend of a world on the brink of another Cold War must be heeded by the big powers as the ceasefire in Ukraine stands in danger of unravelling. Perhaps more than at any time since the fall of the wall, voices advocating Germany’s leadership position on the international stage are being heard loud and clear. Maybe there is merit in this, not just in view of the country’s economic clout, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s deft diplomatic skills.
