On this day in ...... 1989 (20 years ago today), the Brandenburg Gate opened so that all Berliners could join together for the 1st time in nearly 3 decades;
"[t]housands of people spilled on to the city's streets cheering in the pouring rain to watch the historic ceremony which effectively end[ed] the division of East and West Germany." Notable among the many items published this autumn to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Germany's
reunification is this commentary, in which Dr. Mary Elise Sarotte (left), Professor of International Relations at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, explained reasons for continuing tensions between Russia and other countries over the ensuant enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.(Prior December 22 posts are here and here.)
