20th Anniversary of the Berlin Wall falling : a watershed in modern history

Twenty years ago the lives of millions of European citizens changed dramatically and irreversibly. The fall of the Berlin Wall is without doubt one of the most iconic historical events of our modern history. The barriers between the East and West crushed and fell down, not only those for the East and West Germans but also for the rest of the divided Europe. 20 years later Europe is open to an extend unimaginable then.

I remember very vividly and clearly, then only a teenager, who has just started to form my political views, and just starting to doubt the System on my own, seeing the footage from Germany on TV, feeling the change of history, being part of it...Europe has changed, the World has changed. It was hard to believe, but it was true.
The Wall fell.

Germany celebrates memory of Berlin Wall falling (AP)

Twenty years ago today, the great dividing line between the Iron Curtain and the West came down, felled by the tides of history and the irrepressible will of millions of people.AFP video

news updates:
World leaders line up to mark fall of Berlin Wall(Reuters)

China rising? : Star Wars Made in China?

No, I don't mean the cult sci-fi film. I mean China's growing military ambitions...

A very amusing news blip happened these few days. First a top China air force commander has called the militarisation of space an "historical inevitability".
Last Monday agencies reported that in a wide-ranging interview in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Daily, marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese PLA air force, air force commander Xu Qiliang said it was imperative for the PLA air force to develop offensive and defensive operations in outer space.

Read the AFP report China chief says space arms inevitable: state media (AFP)

And then a day or two later the Chinese Foreign ministry was quick to deny this saying China plans are "peaceful"- China says space plans peaceful.
Even Hu Jintao hurried to also make a point by hurrying to make statement to try to mask over the air force commander's slip of the tongue.
I would say, that is quite amusing.

After watching the absurdly kitsch gargantuan military parade on October 1st (by the way, there is an interesting analysis by China Media Project of the symbolism behind the used portraits, slogans and songs during the military parade, read "In modern China, no place for totalitarian anthems" here) and after taking into consideration the growing territorial claims tensions with its neighbours (India, Japan, Philippines, etc.) over disputed borders and islands, and some emboldened moves and demonstrations of the growing Chinese military might, and after taking into account the de facto military situation last year in Tibet (a forcefully militarily annexed territory) and this year's heavy military presence in both Tibet and restive Xinjiang, I am very very far from convinced that China's rise is peaceful. If peaceful means under the threat of a gun, then yes, it is "peaceful".

It's like saying that "War is Peace".