The Berlin Wall was quite literally the prop on which the entire Soviet security structure for Europe rested. When it fell, Moscow's continuing illusions that Eastern Europe could somehow be maintained as a belt of neutral states separating the Russian heartland from the West collapsed like a house of cards.
And yet the edifice had appeared so solid, so permanent. In the euphoria that followed the fall of the Wall -- and which was again on display during the 20th anniversary celebrations -- we forget that prior to 1989, the division of Europe into two blocs, East and West, was seen as a permanent feature of the international order. ...