1989 & 2009 – Years of Revolution
Twenty years ago the Berlin Wall fell. Since this remarkable European event, Europe hasn’t really taken advantage of its chances and possibilities to become a leading political actor of the new world order in the 21th century. This has several reasons: “A certain idea of Europe was buried with the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989”, Bertrand Le Gendre writes in the French daily Le Monde. “ That is the paradox of history. At the very moment when the continent recovered its unity as a democratic market economy, it lost the last of its cohesion. … With twenty-seven countries it is nothing more than a Utopia,” he concludes. But not only changes of the political structure of Europe but also external developments concerning international relations and global affairs has led to a loss of influence of the Old Continent among the international community.
Will there be a climate revolution?
“Twenty years on we still have to wait and see whether with the rise of Barack Obama a new, multi-polar world order can be established,” writes Hubert van Humbeeck in his blog for the website of the Dutch weekly magazine Knack. “And it’s not clear what role Europe can play in this. For emerging powers like China and India, the Old Continent is no longer so important.” Europe still often resolves into nation states, as we could see during the financial and economic crisis. … “If the Old Continent isn’t careful, it will end up merely trotting along on the sidelines. If it wants to continue counting for something it has no choice but to make an effort and cooperate,” van Humbeeck believes.
But the year 1989 must not only perceived as the year when the wall came down and communism ended to exist in Eastern Europe. It is also considered as the starting point of modern globalization. And this global development has not only set the stage for above mentioned new world order with the rise of countries like China and India as the upcoming economic super powers. Globalization led to a global fight for western living standards and consequently to an extraordinary burden of the ecological system which accounts for today’s climate change. After twenty years of intense global political change this world now needs an ecological change.
In 1989 Berlin was the symbolic place for a peaceful revolution and the initiation of an upcoming new world order. It might be hard to imagine, but in 2009 Copenhagen must be the place for a climate revolution. Let’s not forget this issue while celebrating the fall of the wall. Let’s combine both dates!
This article is cross posted on my Think About It – Climate change blog.
Thank you for the very interestig post!. I have not had satellite in our apartment for 9 months now, and I am so relived!! Thanks again! I am always looking forward to your new threads!. Happy Holidays!!