Cold War
Five questions about the Korean conflict
On 23 November North Korea turned the heat up with the first attack on South Korea civilians since the end of the war in 1953. There were four casualties on Yeonpyeong Island. Spanish journalist Alberto Lebrón explains why diplomacy is working with the weapons loaded
cold war, russian federation, nuclear plant, china, japan, united states, north korea
Music: (subversive) songs for the European city
Madrid's famous Gran Via boulevard celebrated its 100th anniversary on 7 April, with a local survey seeing 'Gran Via' by crooner Antonio Flores top a list of songs dedicated to the city. From monkeys in Berlin to Red Bull and Swedes in Barcelona via Stalin in Warsaw, a selection of offbeat videos suggested by the cafebabel network
Berlin film festival: 60 years of masterpieces
The Berlin international film festival (or Berlinale) has been fraught with political struggles. Created by the allies of west Berlin right under the noses of communist dictators, it was a way of opening a window to the 'free' world. Over the years, it has developed into an unmissable world cinema event
cold war, rainer werner fassbinder, cinema, film, berlin wall, history, jean-luc godard
Picture that: it's only been 20 years since the Berlin wall fell
For its twentieth anniversary Europe will euphorically celebrate the fall of a wall that didn’t just split Berlin in two, but an entire continent. At 6:57 pm on 9 November, the GDR's Politbüro member Günter Schabowski announced that from now, east German citizens could travel freely. Hours later, Berliners were hugging each other from the east to the west. Another 20 years later, and the eurogeneration have made their motto out of this freedom of movement - eastern working girls invade Europe’s labour market, symbolic walls come to a fall in Paris, or exist in people’s heads. Does the spoiled post-89 generation know how lucky they are? Perspectives
- Read the special edition Picture that: it's only been 20 years since the Berlin wall fell
- Czech internet forums, KSCM: disillusionment and nostalgia for communist past
- 9/11 - the fateful day of German history
- 20th anniversary: go and see the 'Berlin wall' be destroyed in Paris
- Jean-Christophe Bas: 'the erasmus generation doesn’t know how lucky it is'
- What communism means to three central and eastern European women
- Twenty years on: why Berlin is not Germany
It's like talking to a Berlin wall
140 kilometres of wall crumbled in 1989 and hundreds of European expressions arose as it fell. The idiom of the week is flavoured by the 9 November event
cold war, 1989, tower of babel, germany, iron curtain, berlin wall, languages
Europe 70 years after the outbreak of WWII
The German invasion of Poland seventy years ago on September 1, 1939, marked the start of world war II. The repercussions of the war are still felt across Europe today. The Estonian, Austrian, British and Portuguese media comment
cold war, gdansk, germany, history, poland, margaret thatcher, united kingdom
Berlin wall: version Vilnius 2009
Nostalgic? Nearly two decades after ‘die Wende’, as the Germans call it, the Lithuanian capital has become the EU capital of culture. In 2009 though, it is still fighting its old demons. Russian symbols have been erased without mercy. A cold soviet wind blows through the Baltic republic with regards to energy. Belarusian students find exile in a special university four hours from Minsk. The domestic brain drain is ongoing. Three journalists plus one photographer and one videomaker (see below) hunt the clash of cultures in our monthly cities stop: 'EU Debate on the ground'
- Read the special edition Berlin wall: version Vilnius 2009
- Energy in Lithuania: tick A, B or C for 'nuclear', 'renewable' or 'both'
- Soviet nostalgia: Russian drink, bunker parties and film in Vilnius
- Visit to the EHU: Belarusian elite university exiled in Vilnius
- 15.5% unemployment, diaspora: Lithuanians try luck elsewhere
Solidarity turn their backs on 1989
In 1989, the Solidarnosc (Solidarity) trade union contributed to a democratic revolution in Poland. Now, on the 20th anniversary the celebrations could be called off due to trade union protestors
cold war, 1989, gdansk, iron curtain, berlin wall, history, civil society
Prague(matic) spring
2008. Time for Prague to do a spring clean, to free itself of the dusty control mechanisms of former times. Beer ‘exportmeister’, freshblooded cinema, the freedom of speech and a ‘Go West’ philosophy - the Czechs are pragmatic. Are appearances deceptive?
