On the 33rd anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on Nov. 9, 1989, we look back on why the wall was built in this essay by the late William Blum, published on July 28, 2011 on Consortium News.
The Other Side of the Berlin Wall
Category: Soviet Union
Text of Putin’s Speech Blasting ‘Neo-Colonial’ West
The Russian president on Friday slammed the West for a history of abuse against the rest of the world as he announced that four Ukrainian oblasts had joined the Russian Federation.
SCOTT RITTER: Reaping the Whirlwind
Putin’s order to begin partial mobilization of Russian military forces continues a confrontation between Russia and a U.S.-led coalition of Western nations that began at the end of the Cold War.
DIANA JOHNSTONE: The Specter of Germany Is Rising
To meet the imaginary Russian threat to Western Europe, Germany will lead an expanded, militarized EU.
When Gorbachev’s Luck Ran Out
There is an almost Shakespearean tragic quality about the late Soviet leader’s 1985-90 time in power, writes Tony Kevin. But Russian historians of the future may have reason to treat him kindly.
SCOTT RITTER: Mikhail Gorbachev, a Vector of Change
In ways that he never intended, the first and only president of the Soviet Union shaped world history.
Robert Scheer: Remembering Mikhail Gorbachev
Revisiting Robert Scheer’s 1987 Los Angeles Times review: “From Moscow, First Report of an Unprecedented Call for Change: The Gorbachev Manifesto.”
SCOTT RITTER: Sometimes Humanity Gets it Right
Disarmament in the time of Perestroika spotlights the pivotal contributions of U.S.-Soviet inspectors in helping to complete the 1988 INF treaty, which took effect after a period of bilateral tensions that could be considered more severe than those of today.
Chris Hedges: NATO — Most Dangerous Military Alliance on Planet
At no time, including the Cuban missile crisis, have we stood closer to the precipice of nuclear war.
Caitlin Johnstone: Silicon Valley Taking Control of History
The idea that government-tied corporations should act as arbiters of history and accuracy is steadily gaining acceptance in the echo chamber of mainstream public opinion.