They say it ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. By then everyone talked about Mikhail Gorbachev’s perestroika and glasnost, Boris Yeltsin’s alcoholism and poking of women, and Vladimir Zhirinovsky’s plans to invade Finland and his night spent with pornstar and ex-member of the Italian parliament Cicciolina. The Russian bear was said to embrace the West, the iron curtain was open and, after fifty years of a nuclear arms race to an ever-growing arsenal capable of destroying life on Earth a few dozens of times, the Cold War was over.
The Soviet Union started to collapse. Eastern Europe republics claimed their independence from Russia, genocidal wars started in some of them, namely the one in former Yugoslavia. Some conflicts are still happening, sponsored by both Russia and countries from NATO. In the meantime, a former chief of the KGB becomes the elected President of Russia.
A few years ago, the spy novels writer John Le Carré said something like this: “I don’t want a microphone on Mr. Putin’s shoe. I want Mrs. Putin working for me.” The faith on technology replacing the investment on human capital turned the Western secret community into shambles, Le Carré explained. The Cold War isn’t over. Actually, spying activities have been increasing tremendously.
Russia and China have learned the hard way how communism as it was ruins economies. So they opened up, each on their on way. One country, two systems, for China, and an oligarchy pretending to be a democracy, for Russia, cartelized savage capitalism for both and their allies. Gas, caviar and Kalashnikovs made in Russia, everything else made in China, Western countries and companies exporting cheap jobs to them. Spies assure the wheels keep on turning, specially to the benefit of the armament, oil and stock exchange industries.
In this cold Cold War, ideology and human rights are lesser important than ever before. A self-centered culture grows fast in both East and West countries, private interests gain a pharaonic predominance legitimized by peoples craving for employment. We are on the verge of a hi-tech medieval age, where people’s souls return to tribal horizons. Intellectual and ethical capacities are submitted to the whims of the elites. Nations will be replaced by corporations. Businesses are to become the homeland of individuals.
Human qualities are no more.
NunoNevesStore 