From Euphoria to Neurosis

Russia in Global Affairs. 2025. Vol. 23. No. 4. P. 5–12.

Lukyanov F.

There are some things that signify entire historical processes and eras.

The Berlin Wall is perhaps the most glaring example. What could better symbolize the division of Europe and the world into two ideologically, militarily, and politically irreconcilable blocs? A massive, technologically advanced fortification, cutting through the soul of a leading city of the Old World. In January 1989, East German leader Erich Honecker proclaimed that the “anti-fascist protection barrier” would stand for another hundred years. Less than a year later, it fell—not coincidentally, along with Honecker’s government and soon the entire East German state.

Germany’s unification, following the 3 October 1990 agreement, was a turning point. A major state, which had generated tensions and wars for 150 years, reemerged on the map of Europe. But, more than that, the principles of German unification came to define European politics for the next thirty years, culminating in the Ukraine conflict, which erupted in 2014 and escalated into a large-scale interstate war in 2022. These events, no matter how they are assessed, were set in motion by the 1990 agreements (or lack thereof).

Keywords: внешняя политика, Россия, Russia, foreign policy, мировой порядок, world order