The Fall of the Walls: The Empires also Perish (a Little Bit of Geography, History and Current Situation)

Abstract

This text is intended as a tribute to André Dembicz, a respected scholar who maintained a constant exchange with university centers in Latin America and with international institutions concerned with Latin America. Without holding Eu-rocentric stereotypes of the world, Dembicz belongs to the limited group of intellectuals who value the exchange of academic analysis between colleagues in Latin America and those in Central Eastern Europe. I found in CESLA, under his direction, a space for ref-lection about the transition from a society ruled by the Plan and the one-party govern-ment, to a society ruled by the economic market and experimenting with multiparty sys-tem. As a token of my appreciation, I have elaborated the present article in tribute to André Dembicz. Before the ruins of the Berlin Wall, I take a moment to reflect. The big question lies in the interpretation of its fall. There are several question marks. Has all the rubble been removed? What has been built in its place: only one world, in which old rivals join in partnership, a grand negotiation? Or two different worlds? In the specific case of the Central-Eastern Europe, which is the main focus of this article, what resulted from the reestablishment of the relationship with Western Europe? In the current enlargement process, where are Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC: Poland, Check Re-public, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Hungary, Bulgary, Romenia) going? Are they merely co-operators or fundamental protagonists? I will reflect on these highly to-pical issues.