Asia won the Cold War

Politicians and the media did their best yesterday to revive the euphoria that accompanied the fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago. The Communist era in Central and Eastern Europe was cruel and repressive, and its end was truly something to celebrate. With the Cold War over, it was no longer necessary to concentrate attention and resources mainly on destructive relations within the Euro-American civilization, as had been the focus for much of the 20th century, starting with World War One. To those who now care to notice, though, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the aftermath of Communism was mishandled. Instead of becoming stronger after 1989, Euro-American civilization became weaker. As Brahma Chellaney wrote in the New York Times, "Europe got freedom, Asia got rich." Yesterday's much-publicized celebrations serve, in part, to obscure the reality of what 1989 means.