Twenty years after the Berlin Wall came down, the end of the
Cold War still inspires euphoria and triumphalism in the West.
But even as we lift toasts once again to the victory of 1989, we
should re-examine that momentous year. Documents, memoirs, and
other evidence that have come to light suggest that for
relations between the United States and the Soviet Union, it was
also a time of missed opportunity. The fall of the wall was a
European earthquake, but in Washington and Moscow,
miscommunication and suspicion meant the leaders were badly out
of sync. While Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev was eager to move
on cutting nuclear arsenals, President George H.W. Bush was
cautious and uncertain, and a promising moment slipped away. The
fall of the Berlin Wall united Germany and eliminated the Cold
War's most potent symbol. Here are five barriers that continue
to divide nations and disrupt lives today. By Joshua Keating It
is always easier to identify a pivotal year in retrospect than
as you are living through it. W