Mr. Obama, Tear Down This Wall
“Are these the beginnings of profound changes in the Soviet state? Or are they token gestures, intended to raise false hopes in the West, or to strengthen the Soviet system without changing it? We welcome change and openness; for we believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace. There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace.
General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
The above two paragraphs are part of a famous speech delivered by former President Ronald Reagan by the Berlin Wall on June 12, 1987 (two years before the wall fell).
Leaders from Europe and North America were in Berlin today to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall. The Western media covered this story from all different angles (some of the storylines included “where were you when the wall fell?”, “was former Soviet Union or the United States responsible for the fall of the wall?” etc.). Speaking on the occasion German Chancellor Merkel said that the events of 1989 were “the result of a long history of repression and the fight against repression”. Politics and history are very complicated. The thoughts expressed by the German Chancellor are partly the Western view and does not explain the whole story.
The United States, Western Europe and Russia were allies in their fight against Hitler’s Germany, Italy and Japan. It is a fact that World War II could not have been won without the contributions of the Russian Army. The fall of Germany (which ended the World War II in Europe) happened because Hitler committed suicide when he realized that the Russians have captured most of Germany including Berlin. The division of Germany and the city of Berlin into four occupation zones (British, American, French and Soviet) was a result of the Potsdam Agreement. So the occupation and segregation of Berlin was done with the full consent of the victorious armies and not just by the Soviet Union alone.
For most outsiders (including most of Central and South America, Asia and Africa) the fall of the wall meant that they can focus more on their internal issues and their own economies rather than getting dragged into cold war politics. While America and the rest of the Western countries were taking part in their cold-war “victory” celebrations countries like India and China started emerging as major forces to be reckoned with. Claiming victory in the cold war is standard procedure in the West. But in my opinion it is too early to decide who the winners are if any. Since the end of the cold war the power and influence that the West once had on the rest of the world has steadily declined. Some of the victorious countries in the war like Britain and France have since become minor players in the international arena.
One of the things that Chancellor Merkel and the rest of the Europeans do not want to acknowledge on this occasion is the fact that the Berlin Wall has been replaced by a bigger but a much more powerful wall called the European Union. It is an economic and political union of like minded countries. Countries like India or China and their citizens will find it extremely hard to be a part of or set their foot inside this union. But the Europeans are not the only ones who are building walls. One of the attendees for the 20th anniversary celebrations was American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Her country is in the process of building a huge fence across its border with Mexico (US-Mexico border is about 1,951 miles long). Some parts of this border run right through thickly populated areas (like San Diego and Tijuana). The United States claims that this border is necessary to keep illegal immigrants and illegal drugs away (what an excuse!!).
One of the reasons World War II started was the German policy of executing the Jews (Holocaust). After the war the Jewish people were given their own homeland which is now known as Israel. However, in the past few years Israel has built a huge wall separating itself from the West Bank. The wall is approximately 436 miles long (about 58% of the wall is complete and construction is underway in the rest of the areas). Israel claims that this wall is necessary to keep Palestinian terrorists out of Israel (my question is at what cost?).
As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall do we really know the real reasons why we are celebrating? As the West and its allies claim victory in the cold war do they really know what they were fighting for? I do not think that thousands of people from many different nationalities died in World War II and other wars during the cold war so that they can tear down a concrete wall. I think that they were fighting to tear down the ideologies that walls like these represent. These ideologies include division, segregation, racism and repression. What message are we trying to send when we celebrate the fall of the Berlin wall on one hand and at the same time support and continue building walls like that all over the world?
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- India’s War Within (Naxallites and Maoists)
- The Heat Is On President Obama
- President Obama to Confess to the Dalai Lama?
Category: News & Government