A three-way world
When the cold war ended in 1989, so did the balance-of-power system in Europe, and a centuries-old way of looking at the world. Here is a new one
IT IS, as someone once said, a funny old world, and the older it gets, the funnier it seems. When communism collapsed in 1989, half a century of certainties went out the window. The West had won the cold war, and rejoicing seemed in order. But this was not like the end of other wars. Instead of grabbing territory and reparations, the victors set up stand-by facilities and know-how funds. The frosty clarity of cold warfare had given way to the fog of peace.
This article appeared in the Christmas Specials section of the print edition under the headline “A three-way world”
From the December 20th 1997 edition
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