This weekend the world celebrated 25 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall — the physical symbol of a divided continent. The Berlin Wall created artificial boundaries between societies, scarring Europe’s economic and political development for generations. The Iron Curtain defined where freedom ended and repression began.
Millions of people lived in repressive regimes that eliminated freedom of thought, association, and the press, crushing basic human rights and any possibility of democratic elections. To date, the ramifications of this period are evident as countries in Eastern and Central Europe seek to strengthen democratic governance and enact economic reforms that promote growth and create jobs.
While the majority of post-Communist countries have become full-fledged members of the Euro-Atlantic institutions and the adoption of the single European currency symbolizes the divisions that have been overcome, current events remind us that citizens’ ability to chart their own futures continues to be jeopardized. Europe whole, free, and in peace remains a brave dream for too many people and until the meaning of those words is true for every European, history will continue to remind us of the unfinished business begun 25 years ago.
The work of the development community remains critical in the tumultuous world of international relations. Since its founding in 1983, the National Endowment of Democracy and its four institutes were crated on the premise that “American assistance on behalf of democracy efforts abroad would be good for both the U.S. and for those struggling around the world for free and self-government.”
Winston Churchill proclaimed that “Many forms of Government have been tried and will be tried in this world …No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” On this November 9 as we reflect on the progress that has been achieved over the past two and a half decades, let’s remember the millions of people around the world who continue to struggle for their right of self-determination and the work that remains to be done.
Teodora Mihaylova is Research Coordinator at CIPE.
Published Date: November 10, 2014