Some recent events – the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the fall of the Berlin wall, the end of the ideological confrontation with communism – seem to have occurred many centuries ago. They gave rise to euphoria and optimism and restored faith in the possibility of creating a new and better world. A peaceful and safe international environment was at hand, so we believed – to our present frustration and despair.
A brutal reality erased hope, quickly and completely. The September 11 and March 11 tragedies in America and Spain changed national societies and the international community. Neither peace nor stability were the legacy of the end of the Cold War. Our anguish and fears did not vanish. We do not live in a more secure international system, as we expected after the breakdown of the bi-polar structure.
