Today marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and every media source has supplied the perfunctory article in reflection of the events, the precursors, and the results. I must say: my daily meanderings through the blogosphere and popular press, in search of a melding of erudition and aesthetic insight, have fallen short of what one might expect — dare I say demand — of such a landmark event. Various threads in the tapestry of events may be plucked and strained in an effort to emulate an intellectual catharsis, to convince ourselves that the complexities that allowed, encouraged, forced these events are dissectable, capable of definition. It seems to me that in the effort to assimilate the complexities — be they the role of Reagan and Thatcher, Gorbachev, Walesa, Solidarnosc, Havel, the people, artistic movements, economic conditions, societal strains and pressures — that the simplicity of what we acknowledge today is overlooked. One man’s role proved to be the unwitting spark to this great moment in history.
Günter Schabowski’s role in this is an important one. In announcing new policy to allow travel between East and West, as a response to the effects of the Czech decision to allow travelers from GDR, Schabowski made an error. When pressed by journalists about the date that this new policy was to take effect, Schabowski improvised, and — incorrectly — stated that it would take place immediately. This flub was the final straw, the oversight that changed the world.
This is not to detract from the politicians and diplomats and artists and union organizers and citizens who, for so long, made such valiant efforts at survival and change. Each of them, in his and her own way, contributed to this change. Some of these roles inspire, some mundane but necessary. However every grand change requires a catalyst: that one moment where reality shifts and the unimaginable animates. Can we not, in the present day, take this as a lesson?
We have new challenges in front of us. None have the shape and substance of the Cold War, yet carry and importance and a defeatism of their own. A common line runs through the reflections upon ‘89: We never imagined that it would happen, or that it would happen so quickly. Yet, aspirations of the seemingly impossible fueled action, over many years, sometimes in small ways, to lay harvest to fertile ground, so that conditions could allow for the slightest crack to be penetrable, and to send the whole thing crumbling down. Can we not apply these lessons to our current challenges? To terrorism? The environment? Poverty in the developing world? Human rights? Behind the Iron Curtain, patience and perseverance was imposed, because there were no other options for far too long; we, we have a choice, and too often we nurture cynicism, and forget that small steps are steps nonetheless, that do lead to a much desired destination.
Here is an excerpt from a lecture I attended last week, titled ” 20 Years After The Collapse Of The Iron Curtain”. I apologize for the poor quality of the taping, however the quality of the message – delivered by none other than Vaclav Havel – warrants overlooking the wobbles.
And they danced. Do we dance enough?
While the ink has not yet dried on the final necessary signature from the final check on the treaty, the European Union’s ever-forward motion has solidified, while in Britain, Cameron’s ‘cast-iron’ guarantee crumbles. The ramifications for Europe — notably a new European President, possibly Tony Blair — are significant. However, the holes that have been poked in Eurosceptic visions of a British referendum will also have serious implications for Cameron and his Tories, especially while looking ahead to elections in 2010. Not to be-labour the point — but today is potentially a serious coup for Britains current ruling party, past and present.
The Economist is the ‘to read’ magazine of most MPA students, but what are your favorite alternatives?
One suggestion: The Undercover Economist, providing articles by Tim Harford.
The concerted effort to convince Ireland to deliver a resounding ‘Yes’ to the Lisbon Treaty has led to declarations of success, relief, and the welcoming of this development of the European Union. Yet, the treaty still requires ratification by Poland – who appear to be ready to do so- and the Czech Republic – whose intentions to sign are indefinite.
See Janis Emmanouilidis ‘s article for a succinct overview. An excerpt here:
Members of the Czech Senate have now twice taken the Lisbon treaty to the country’s constitutional court and could keep employing the same delaying tactic to enable the country’s famously eurosceptical President Vaclav Klaus to refuse to sign the Lisbon treaty into law. This could play into the hands of Britain’s Conservative opposition, which has said it would put the treaty to a referendum if it has not been ratified by the time of the next British general election — which must take place no later than May 2010 and which the conservatives seem poised to win.
If the above possibility comes to pass, we are really in store for further political drama and further away from solutions.
Please note: this is posted on behalf and upon the request of Jing Huang, who is unable to access WordPress from her current location. Thanks for allowing us to see Tibet through your eyes, Jing.
24 August 2009
One month after returning from Tibet, I am still inebriated by the masterpiece of the nature and astounded by the economic and social development in that area. I am eager to tell all my friends what I have found about this mysterious land.
A piece of sacred land
Tibet is known as the roof of the world. Its height not only lies in the natural altitude, but also is reinforced by its religious heavenliness.
Tibet is a sacred place: all the people believe in Tibetan Buddhism; you can find colorful flags with Buddhist lection along river banks, mountains and roads, blessing all those who pass by; every lake has its own legend, be it tears of princesses or magical water from the bottle of the Master.
I was once told that the Tibetan were devout prayers. It is when I saw them with my own eyes that I came to realize how devout they are. Every day, wherever I travelled, I could see those dressed in traditional Tibetan clothes walking while kowtowing, with all parts of their bodies touching the earth, murmuring the Buddhist lection. All these people, from teenagers to graybeards, are heading for the same destination—Jokhang Temple in Lhasa. Many of them need to kowtow for almost one year on the way from their hometowns to Lhasa.
A piece of open land
Tibet was a mysterious place several years ago, even for the Chinese, because of its special climate and inconvenient traffic. Since the successful construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in 2006—the railway of the highest altitude in the world, more and more tourists throughout the world have come to see this region.
I met on the train an old man who travelled with his children from New York to Tibet. He told me that although he was in his fifties, he would still challenge the height of 5000 meters of the Everest. One of the train’s carriages was full of foreign travelers, which made me quite surprised since it was said that foreigners were not allowed to Tibet after the “March 14” accident. Now it is clear to me that Tibet is still an open area to all the peoples in the world, as long as they know how to respect its history, its culture and its ethnic sentiment.
A piece of energetic land
Tibet has been experiencing development, in its different areas, and now the development is gaining speed.
The infrastructure in Lhasa impressed me a lot. As a capital city, Lhasa is not inferior to others in China’s west region. There are wide roads, commercial centers, residential communities, schools and universities. Many new residential buildings are rising up in the city. It is a little surprising that the average price of a new apartment in Lhasa is over 4000 RMB per square meter, which is already very high for the local people, although incomparable to those in Beijing or Shanghai. However, the demand still surpasses the supply. Not only the people in Lhasa but also those living in other Tibetan regions want to have an apartment in the capital city because they believe that
Lhasa is heading towards a brighter future.
Besides Lhasa, I also travelled to Linzhi, a region called “little Switzerland of Tibet” because of its trees, flowers and mountains with snow on the top. This region was once plagued by poverty. Since the entry into the new century, local people’s living standards have been greatly improved owing to the economic help from the richer provinces in east China. Now most families are able to send their children to schools. Most of those students can at least finish junior middle school. All the educational institutions there provide teaching materials in both Tibetan and mandarin. More and more Tibetan young people come back to Tibet after graduation from universities and contribute to the development of their hometown on the roof of the world.
Gaddafi gave this interview prior to departing for Italy to attend the G8 summit. His view on the need for a new USofA – United States of Africa – is one he seems to be generating more publicity for recently.
See interview here:
The conversations between Gaddafi and the G8 leaders is bound to be fascinating, though I would have loved to see Gaddafi participate in this exchange:
Though it would be interesting to be a fly on the wall for any exchange with Gaddafi….however perhaps not a very secure position:
In any case, with Medvedev present, any guest at the G8 summit is sure not to be the biggest fool present:
The story of Mansour Osaloo illustrates some of the reasons why Iranians are fighting so hard for change. The demonstrations since June 12 have evidenced the Iranian people’s rejection of falsified electoral results. Yet the falsification of these results speak to Khameni’s desire to maintain a regime that perpetuates torture and the suppression of freedom, as highlighted in Mansour Osaloo’s story here:
A contact of one of our MPA students sent the following pictures on from Tehran.
A historical event is happening before our eyes. Thanks to new media, we have been able to observe the events in Tehran continue to unfold, without being beholden to the ball-dropping of the mainstream media.
Thanks to Andrew Sullivan and Twitter, and of course to every person present in Iran who is struggling to get the information, the images, and the message out there. The revolution is not being televised — it is being Twittered.
And of course, to every protestor.
More pictures to follow shortly…..
