Since the Fall of the Wall

Since the Fall of the Wall

The world hoped the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 would not only signify the end of the Cold War between the superpowers, but usher in a new era of global peace. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. The UN High Commission for Refugees reported in November 1995 that war, atrocities and persecution had currently forced a record 50 million people from their homes around the world. The report grimly added,

The end of the Cold War generated a strong sense of optimism about the international refugee situation. With the rivalry of the superpowers over, it was thought, many conflicts would be resolved. ... Almost precisely the opposite has happened.[3]

In its annual report, the National Defense Council Foundation, a research and lobbying organization, counted 71 wars in 1995, which was double the number in the organization’s first tally in 1989. Its director, retired Special Forces officer Andrew Messing, said the major dangers emerging in the post-Cold War era are nuclear and biological weapons proliferation, the rising militarization of China and spreading violence related to drug trafficking.[4]