Germans to Work Together as coronavirus cases searched at their highest levels since the pandemic began. And i. Think the eliminated showing the might of the right at the port and. 50 near. Historic victory for new zealands Prime Minister just center or journey and she secures a landslide win in the countrys general election. Unlike local welcome to the program truce between by sean and armenia is threatening to fall apart after renewed clashes overnight as a barge on has vowed to take revenge after an alleged armenian missile strike on its 2nd largest city. The early hours attack killed at least 12 and wounded dozens more meanwhile armenia says azerbaijan has continued to shell Populated Areas within the disputed nagornokarabakh region hundreds have been killed since fighting broke out over in the region in september. Parts of the us led by johnny. In ruins in their early hours of saturday the destruction of the missile attack was not yet fully visible but what was clear to us the shock brought here Officials Say at least 20 of residential buildings were destroyed during saturdays attack while most people were sleeping. We have been living in fear for days we would try to hide from that attack but that wasnt of any use where suffering a lot of pain and. Then you know. He was in the right now we cant even identify the bodies. According to azerbaijan the officials the missiles were fired from 2 different locations in armenia are mean and all sorts hes have not responded to the claims gunja is the 2nd largest city in azerbaijan and lies far from the disputed region of nagornokarabakh since september the hostilities between armenia and azerbaijan have escalated to an all time high i once frozen conflict flaring up again the nagornokarabakh region lies within azerbaijan but is governed by ethnic armenians. Residents there are bracing for new bombardments while fearing death from the sky medical officials are also warning that the corona virus is spreading quickly. Said are you a middle of war of course are a small country has a growing number of 1000 cases where we dont just like adequate medicine but if difficulties isolating and evacuating patients from our republic. The conditions are especially dire in bomb shelters just but now in these basements many people are coughing have a fever many have high blood pressure. Here self isolation is not an option people in the corner car back are trapped between the visible and invisible threats to their lives. Im joined by richard gere goes in and hes the head of the Regional Studies Center of Foreign Policy think tack in yerevan armenia richard welcome to you can you confirm what john claims which is that the missile strikes on gun show were a deliberate attack by the Armenian Army actually no i cant but i can begin with the poor the indiscriminate violence the loss of life of civilians on all flights this is only a demonstration of the intensity of the algebra johnny offensive but theres also a degree of asymmetry year where iraq where in a devastating round of revenge and retribution unfortunately this is why the b. D. F. Ceasefire is an imperative an immediate unconditional cease fire unfortunately fergie and its patron azerbaijan ever refused to abide by that offer an opportunity but in many ways its the civilians will bear the brunt of this war and at the same time we need to actually turn to diplomacy forceful arms is not possible. Richard are you calling for a return to diplomacy which is totally understandable given the situation but its clear that there is a tit for tat going on here with both sides lobbying accusations at the other shouldnt you be able to concede that an attack that took place at the night where there are civilians are very close by is in fact not a good look for armenia. Oh i would go even further its on acceptable lets be honest it is followed several days of indiscriminate shelling and bombardment of civilian Population Centers in the form of our wall and the expansion of the fighting into armenia opera but this is 2nd attack on gaza is no way to be excused the body seeking a military target in other words the you shall of locating military areas within civilian listen to these it is the horrible what moreover this has to and no side is completely immune from this devastating cycle dahlan worked hence the need for an imperative of these fire on all sides assists a sheet of hostilities immediately i agree a cessation of hostilities immediately however what do you expect is going to happen now should we be looking now for a wider escalation of this conflict. Well let me start with the optimistic no the momentum is much in the hands of azerbaijan and the turkish back to expensive now they are taking territory in their advances in their fighting with the border are all troops im only hopeful that they have seized it out of territory to satisfy and perhaps herald this as a victory militarily to return to lucy or diplomatic negotiation and i would also expect the army in our own thought to concede all the territory that been lost in terms of the necessity to return to diplomacy and in this context we may be approaching a Tipping Point of a conflict with cheek where the price for continued hostilities. Waives the necessity to get back to you. I think weve lost richard gere goes your buddy ends on a good no may we all hope for a conflict fatigue richard gere goes in the eyes of the Regional Studies Center of Foreign Policy think tank and rev on armenia thank you thank you. Cases of the coronavirus have hit a record high in germany almost 8000 new infections have been recorded in the past 24 hours a highest figure since the start of the pen demick german chancellor Angela Merkel has warned of difficult months ahead and appealed for people in germany to Work Together to stem the spread of the virus. Difficulties faced by the relatively relaxed from most over when now facing difficult months the coming days and weeks will determine how winter and christmas will be we can all affected frew out behavior. Please meet up with far fewer people without sight or at home refrain from any trips that are not absolutely necessary and he celebrations that are not absolutely Necessary Police whenever possible stay at home where you live thing is but the but i know that doesnt just sound hard at that in some cases its a particularly difficult sacrifice but we only have to do it temporarily. And ultimately were doing it for ourselves own health and for all those who we can spare from falling ill i going to put the idea of the india in a. Can. Miracles comments follow a week of new virus restrictions in many parts of germany while the measures are not as drastic as the spring locked out they threaten to hit industries such as the hospitality setter. Bars and restaurants in frankfurt fear for their survival the city has been a high risk area for almost a week that means that establishment must close at 11 pm and so its hit us quite hard most of our business happens between 10 pm and 3 am. Collene is afraid a lockdown is coming. I hope the government takes care of us a bit if it gets that bad. Other restaurant and bar owners are afraid theyll have to shut their doors soon. Since its introduce a why if it keeps on going like this then it gets harder to survive its the same with lots of restaurants in the politicians dont do something it will turn out very badly. Some owners want other measures. Inspections strict inspections should be here every night at 10 oclock and make sure everything strictly in order. The restrictions are also hitting the Hotel Industry travelers from high risk areas in germany are not allowed to stay in hotels in the state of hasn. Everyones up to their necks in it. Many think its confusing that the pandemic restrictions vary by region. As hotel owners we would like to see clear and public rules issued by the city but its not just us our guests also want to know whether they are allowed to come stay with us or not. But i mean. At the same time hotels have never been as hygenic as they are now. This interests which is infecting much more we have adapted our ventilation to the new rules and come up with new ways to make sure guests enjoy a safe state can take care of us could tell and Restaurant Owners want clear rules and financial security. To new zealand now where Prime Minister or dern has won a landslide victory in the countrys general election with 2 thirds of the vote counted or Durant CenterLeft Labor Party has secured around 49 percent of the vote giving it an unprecedented outright majority are joined thank you zealanders for the historic win shes won praise for her handling of the covert 1000 crisis and the christchurch ma shootings last year. Im joined now by samantha early a journalist in Christ Church samantha good to have you with us its looking like not just a win but a historic victory for durant was she expected to win by such a large margin well a lot of polls had predicted that very sort of out large majority that was saying tonight that was where predicting a that she would need to form a Coalition Government with the grain and under our electoral system here in new zealand Coalition Government. What they. Needed to form a governing majority it is quite a historic moment. The has picked up enough to actually govern a lot on what is she briefly outlined as her plan for the next term. Well its really building better for the code crisis she told supporters they plan to carry on investing in infrastructure things like training and that they now have a mandate to accelerate those claims. Descent or journey is very popular internationally you must know i mean winning praise for her reaction to the pandemic as well as that right wing terrorist attack in Christ Church but i wonder as we consider these results if she faced any criticism at all for her handling of the other Critical Issues that the country clearly faces. Domestically playing plenty of criticism actually although be acquired that was proved very widespread support the others its the story of this election it was the x. Passe the free market Libertarian Party whos been very vocal probably one of the most vocal in terms of criticizing various labor policy and thats gone from point 5 percent of the vote last time to who i think now moving from one member of parliament to teen so that shows you something about the. Yes position there to do. And also you have to speak to a story shinning all of these dates that the governments going into with a covert response and the Opposition Leader and the National LeaderJudith Cullen seed. That new zealand is in for a tough economic rise and thanks need to school i would say then we have so i think thats what Judith Cullen see it and she also see to excrete national once theyve had a bit of time to reflect a robust opposition so a lot of challenges if were just in there are doing also in katie areas where she promised or outlined really wanting to make transformational change things like housing Climate Change and child policy widely seen as areas where not as much progress is made in these past 3 years and has a lot of his supporters in new zealand as with a light so big challenges there for samantha early in Christ Church thank you so much. Youre watching the news from berlin up next doc film with part 2 of our feature on germany and the cold war stay tuned for that well be back with more news as always after top of the out. And you hear me now i guess we can hear you and i last chance gentlemen starts now remembering im going to back off as youve never thought have surprise yourself with what is possible who is magical really what moves back and want also to talk to people who fall into along the way maurice and critics alike join us from eccles lifestyle. Called war was an ideological war people said you know that its not clear what system is best what system will prevail. In fact it gets to our long time the issue of who was more powerful economically 2 years was not totally clear to spend in the west the sputnik shock cost total panic thats half of the proof. How surprising was that now its us who are showing the west showing the americans what technical progress is taking issue from which. Dumb minds got the shiny new to the military doctrine at the time was mutual assured destruction we were prepared if prepared to. Really work. This a good sized room in the 1st 15 minutes of a war germany would have gone up in flames like a tool which. It had we were really scared because it could all kick off any time someone goes crazy and bam were in the middle of a 2 minute. In the early 1970 s. The world was largely divided between 2 superpowers and from moscow in washington the fight for supremacy remained an ongoing battle with upgraded weapons new proxy wars and new perceived threats there seemed to be no end in sight to the out of control arms race. The plans of the United States in the soviet union still saw germany as the main theater of a potential new hot conflict. This would be the states for any devastating 3rd world war. Both east and west germany were awash with troops tanks and countless other weapons with each superpower blaming the other for the arms race. But. Meanwhile people in the west were watching events unfold on television and a new proxy war between the superpowers in Southeast Asia as the us waged war in vietnam. In the form of. The word try and act and the need was an incredibly savage conduct like we did with napalm bombs that the fully aided entire swaths of land in. The vietnam war was far away but all too close. It was a conflict that would also have a major impact on the cold war changing the perception of america in the west while reinforcing the countrys image in the eastern bloc. Safin of the time i was deeply shocked by some of the footage we were shown that he shouldnt put pictures. People lying dead in the street. To a terrible. Challenge. Vietnam had been a divided country since the pullout of former colonial power france in 1954. Min the leader in the north wanted to establish a united communist vietnam with the support of the soviet union and china determined to prevent that scenario the us sentenced troops to support the south of the country a new proxy war and suit in which both washington and moscow were involved whether directly or indirectly by the end of the 1960 s. At the height of what a stance of lee had been a civil war the us had half a 1000000 men stationed in vietnam it was a war waged without mercy more than 50000 american troops died half of them under the age of 21 the soviet bloc supported the men with east germany providing medical assistance and domestically to the one party state in east berlin insisted on its people helping the north. Vietnam in them in Health Vietnam sites only damage is cut so shocked you would Fund Raising Campaigns were launched asking us to donate money for vietnam do you feel that number has been did not inside them up thank you for your family man let you sure know about. You was on she would think the shiny of home would get cindy trying to make a fall. In here for a new york edge and then check one made a comment. Of tommy discovered that most of the money was used solely to buy arms however people really did send packages i can remember that we too took that seriously i thought it was a good thing when she was. In 1975 the war ended in victory for the north vietnamese in a further blow to the supposed it moral superiority of the west estimates of the casualties of the war primarily been the means of. Allans range between 2 and 5000000 people peace in vietnam was at least followed by a period of detente between the 2 superpowers culminating and the whole in ski accords in 1975. The 35. 00 signatories pledge to settle disputes peacefully and to observe fundamental freedoms and human rights including west and east german leaders and which met and hanukah human rights invoked by east german activists. The hope now is for at least a slowdown on arms escalation and closer Economic Cooperation between the 2 blocks. And it was the germans who benefited most from these agreements. The berlin wall was perforated and labeling the passage of goods and loans and for germans to visit relatives on the other side of the divide. To what was now in each case an alien country. The whole environment was extremely oppressive acquitted by man evolved so just visible every last in fact. It was difficult. To simply get title printed matter we had with us this regarded as propaganda material irrespective of whether it was the standard news magazine a womens magazine or a novel that made no difference it was seen as i began the material. Due to material shortages in east germany relatives in the west would often bring particular foods and consumer items with them as presents a range of goods were unavailable simply because the east German Authorities sold them to the west for hard currency. Some were openly displayed in shop windows the us was well aware of this growing source of income. We forget for example that if you were a westerner. And citizen you wanted to visit the east you had to pay a large fee even go across the wall and and if there were all kinds of subventions and subsidies that the rich west germany paid to east germany and in my judgment that kind of that kind of economic support those subsidies simply prolonged a very corrupt in effective inefficient regime. And it was a regime that continued to invest a large share of its budgets and new weapons such as the r s d 10 a new generation of soviet missiles known in the west as best as twentys they were faster and more accurate than the missiles of the 1960 s. Plus the launch pads were mobile. The arms race entered yet another new phase. The us responded by deploying a new arms arsenal for europe the pursing 2 and cruise missiles medium range Ballistic Missiles said to be highly advanced. Your comments moved him so of you to some boots of a time i spoke to soviet ambassador fallen about the issue of ogres she told me nightmares stories about the capabilities of the cruise missiles from the person that theyre so accurate he said you know that they could fly through a soccer goal and to about 12 feet. Now you can understand how close we would to a Nuclear Disaster through. The story. At the same time it was becoming increasingly evan. That the soviet union was arming itself into bankruptcy the economy was stagnating well its industry was outdated and shortages became the norm not the usual these and this was a country that had won the war and built up communism but it couldnt feed its own people unbelievable. The stuff the prompter newspaper or the truth was the main mouthpiece of the soviet regime when journalist arrived in moscow in 1970 he quickly realised that reporting the truth would not be easy be a bit tough to know your endorsement in west germany we regarded every soviet citizen as a k. G. B. Agent whether they were a diplomats or a journalist or whatever to describe you going bursley in moscow we were seen as agents of west german intelligence or the cia is being and did this so you got used to looking in your Rearview Mirror to check whether you were being followed or not. And it was with satisfaction that you noticed you werent driving to moscow on your own mission. In moscow now with land it at the helm the military continued to showcase its arsenal on official parades western journalists were prevented from gaining insights into the soviets military situation. Is a very intimate give eason i was always keen to get footage of the legendary s. S. 22 film and own tog and i would often use liquor or Little Leather items to make this or that person more inclined to help me. But i still couldnt get a look inside the wooden crate. And vanished some good west german journalist pike and spent 7 years in the russian capital. He also looked for stories otherwise hidden behind the propaganda sought in the process of stablish in contact with political opposition figures and dissidents such as andre soccer off. Under the softening of but at the time. Was the central figure among soviet dissidents argued when youre on a Nuclear Scientist who had now turned his back on the regime as hes done now before noon regime could one tired to whenever i went to see a minister and oddly enough being a light in the hall in the building where he lived was broken i was in my. House floor capote as i climbed the stairs and time and again i encountered shadowy figures. Video of i had to work my way around by to diminish the duration. The west also had its shadowy figures as both sides conducted a clandestine conflict. The cold war had its fair share of the real life james bond stories. In one case an Insurance Agent made copies of classified west German Defense documents over a period of 2 decades. And passed them on to east german intelligence. That i also photographed of course with a daylight developing technique and sometimes there would be 4 or 5 strips hanging down in my shower to dry. When they were then cut up into sections like this which could easily be slipped into a wallet with a secret compartment when he called them and im pleased that the wallet was then simply exchanged for the one the courier was carrying when she wouldnt let him call in the tallest. Attended a number of anti p. S. Nom protest marches in west germany on the 1960 s. And came to the attention of east German Military intelligence. It was tough to any in mind as i met someone who said so are you going to let yourself be beaten up by the police you can do a lot more for detente if you go to bond and inform on the ministry of defense. Clearest it was during this time that de to pop a gun. His new friend was a reservist officer and the west German Armed Forces and was hoping to get a job at the ministry of defense and vaughn and ideal recruit. As 1st i couldnt believe my ears a clerk on the planning staff. As a began taking photos of documents forwarded them to the authorities in east berlin. He would meet his contact officer in hungary or other countries just behind the iron curtain traveling in direct routes or sometimes undercover. In from the world that he would in those days passenger flight data were evaluated thats how it was so at the time i had 5 past 4 its always was the look that enabled him to switch identities and airport transit areas. In addition to forged i. D. s he also used fake mustaches sizzlin to sure there is of course a lot of tension involved and he was and you need to be cool when youre crossing borders with a false identity. But i knew what was involved and so i accepted the tension and the stress my role brought with it all the. Close calls can go east germany referred to spies like paul as agents of peace and perhaps they actually did help to prevent an outbreak of war. Brussels home to nato headquarters its offices contain top secret information on the western alliances Nuclear Arsenal as well as military maneuvers west German Lieutenant colonel klaus gats was involved in the planning of the latter. Among his aides was senior secretary owes a lot unsaid. As if she was a very hardworking person vosh she was usually in the office at the weekend as well which always earned her a great deal of respect. We were really impressed by her commitment if thats the. One of the maneuvers class gets oversaw was when texas symmetrix due to begin on march 5th 1979. For hot compete on march 4th the evening before ursula rang me to say that she would be in a little later the next morning because she had a dentist point out. That next morning clausen get as well as his nato colleagues and the wider world would discover that there was another dimension to his secretarys commitment and hard work. The comic and i received a call from count door a correspondent with the events newspaper. Are you sitting down he asked yes why. Do you know where your ursule is fox shes got a dental appointment i replied i dont think so albany laurenson was an east german agent based at nato Operations Command in brussels the 40 year old secretary and a male companion had fled to east germany by a yugoslavia west German Federal investigators suspected a case of sex be a notch like other intelligence agencies east germany had spies trying to seduce officials on the other side in order to gain classified information it was hard essential the news came as an absolute shock to us because we realized that she knew that basically all needles confidential material was stored with us the guy must be out in october. Shortly afterwards rosa laurenson went public she told viewers on east german t. V. That nato had plans to attack the eastern bloc with Nuclear Weapons. It was committed to it so its the plan all the models are. Also to count. On it and you know plan you attuned the good news its a decision stop and i think its both sides of the cold war had always stressed they were merely interested in selfdefense but did the west intend to attack what exactly did those a launce a know and why is she telling the truth dr no it seems she mentioned specific targets she simply could not have known about it i didnt know them by that nobody did know because Nuclear Planning had the highest secrecy rating of all in nato not too far as the language she used was not her language english there is no doubt that they practice with her before hand what she should say. The east had scored a propaganda coup although even today its unclear exactly what it was a lawrence a new she remained in east germany but her marriage to her male companion and suspected spy failed after the fall of the berlin wall and the communist regime she fled to libya her whereabouts since then are unknown. As for what she did represents the most serious case of espionage nato has ever experienced not to leap but. Meanwhile west germany was itself swamped with weapons. Some conventional anti aircraft missiles were installed right next to public roads. In 1980 almost a quarter of a 1000000 american soldiers were stationed in the country distributed across 850 facilities and barracks the cold war was omnipresent. The nato double track decision of 979. 00 secured the deployment of new Nuclear Weapons and west germany while at the same time continuing disarmament talks. It wasnt until 983 that this highly controversial agreement was ratified by the west german parliament. Deep dish but i. I know that certainly from mass unfinished on smitten suits or stamina. He named biden start. Us there and shy though i notice its business and then always leave their minds as a side each side does encompass vision goot on earth is a good common. Green Party Politician auto was referring to Ronald Reagan who was subject to increasing skepticism among other west germans bit that same year peace demonstrations against nuclear rearmament reached their peak the nato double track agreement embraced disarmament talks must pensively at least on october 22nd 183 half a 1000000 people protested and bomb alone one of the biggest demonstrations in german history almost as big as the Popular Uprising in east germany on june 17th 1053 and there were further demonstrations in hamburg west berlin and stood guard over 1000000 people took to the streets of west germany to protest against the deployment of Nuclear Missiles bigger fish this is what they think it was truly. It was an outcry on a limited scale and of course it was incredibly impressive. You know the number i remember young men and women standing outside my home and protesting at the double track agreement the women said to me we are not going to bring any children into this world they were that radical kind and added this world is due to fatigue holding tortures they stood in front of my house for hours his emotions ran high a situation was highly charged. Not a situation in which understanding between the 2 blocs was indeed becoming less and less likely in march 1903 u. S. President Ronald Reagan spoke of a crusade against communism let us be aware that while they preach the supremacy of the state declare its omnipotence over individual man to predict its eventual domination of all peoples and they are they are the focus of evil in the modern world the. Time when reagans of an evil empire lets raise of the Nuclear Conflict was considerable. International peace programs whether they involved. Educational whatever had all ceased but all you had now was hostility and the feeling that you could already hear the guns of war. In 1983 the soviet union shot down a south korean passenger jet after it had strayed into soviet airspace all 269 people on board were killed including 63 americans. Instead of the planned disarmament talks a new escalation in the cold war looms. And the world held its breath. As the 2 sides mustered all the technological means available the arms race entered a new dimension u. S. Plans to intercept enemy missiles from outer space threaten to upset the military balance the soviet Union Washington assumed would surely be unable to compete with americas Strategic Defense Initiative s. D. I. And for many hope was kindled with the appointment of a new leader in moscow in 1905. From offices. In 1905 became the new soviet leader forged and suddenly we began to imagine what changes this might raise all see in khan. Claimed openness and transparency in discussions to. Us. In contrast to the g. D. R. Where everything was still clothed in secrecy in the soviet union it was suddenly possible to talk openly about problems. In contrary opinions were also tolerated as well as one country of a. Good that. Mikhail gorbachevs biggest problem was the soviet unions ailing economy the country was deep in debt and urgently needed to reduce its military spending. At a superpower summit and the icelandic capital reykjavik in october 1906 gorbachev proposed sweeping changes among them a call for the 2 sides to cut their weapons arsenals and half at 1st president reagan rejected the offer. And a prisoner conference not to grow but there was then this press conference at which gorbachev did something incredibly crazy and smart toes and he sat down in front of a 1000 journalists who had lots of questions to ask you what they didnt get to ask why it was because once gorbachev had a microphone in front of them goofily didnt stop talking to me oh yeah. When you want you i want you to hear. That not only me but. Not do what you need to read to him to end the bloodshed but he talked and talked and his message was this was a good summit meeting goes on for this was the start and we will achieve a good result. In the meantime reagan had landed in washington and read the news. What else could he say but that it was a good summit meeting. And after that they did have productive discussion on zinn seemed to gratian. The new course taken by gorbachev also affected to change the relations between people and the east and west. Earlier in 1906 t. V. Stations in the u. S. And the soviet union broadcast a citizens summit via satellite in which residents of seattle and leningrad were able to put questions to each other. Posner was the presenter for the russian channel. The discussion got off to a lively start with questions such as. Who is. Why this and why that. People never expected to meet so many questions. And they had their own national was the reason for the vietnam war. And then they really had a go at one another. Fisherman stood up a good looking american wearing a Leather Jacket and asked him what exactly are we doing here. I wish this wouldnt be all we could get to know you i think its a bad way to start i wouldnt have come here if i wouldve known it was going to be this political i thought id get to get a chance to know more of the russian people on. Their show youve got to realize one of controversy about what theyre trying to do now and i really feel unfortunate i wish we could sit down and meet with you and talk all i ask of. You dont. Interested in each other it was a perfectly normal discussion between people it was as if we were sitting around a table and enjoying it. And of course it had a very special dynamic of. The broadcast was a huge success with over 100000000 viewers in the soviet union and so. X. 1000000 and the United States the american presenter later said we reached out instead of lashing out briefly the cold war faded into the background for ordinary people continued with his reforms hoping to modernize Russian Society and the economy in order to catch up with the capitalist west. The newly won freedoms however saw growing internal criticism of the system they were public protests by the mothers of soldiers killed in afghanistan the soviet invasion of the country had become another proxy war between the superpowers and a moral and Economic Disaster from moscow dubbed the soviet union speech at nama in 1908 gorbachev ordered a pullout of soviet troops after a 10 year occupation the final pais of the withdrawal was overseen by gen boris gromov on february 15th 1909 he was among the last group of troops to cross the soviet Afghan Border where he was welcomed home by his 14 year old son. Joe dumars by number of instances a group. To collect the war in afghanistan had a huge psychological impact nationally that they were able. To see when someone is sick. The men who fought then certainly wouldnt agree with me because they see themselves as a brotherhood and often one of heroes youre oyeyemi. Know that someone did him. But are senior good but actually it was a defeat and there were a lot of lies about the number of fatalities the crew get the useful some coffins were even used for transporting narcotics of a quick to go it was a serious psychological blow throughout people should see knew. It was a disappointment. And a complete loss of faith in the government but as it should you who went to the sec review gorbachevs new policy of perestroika also impacted on the rest of Eastern Europe in september 1987 east german leader every hanukkah arrived in beaumont to meet west german chancellor helmut kohl images of the historic visit suggested a relaxing of relations while also indicating that the status quo would remain a divided germany but most of us didnt see those changes coming and when i say most of us are not simply talking about americans but also west germans mean we had meetings with with west german diplomats was people in the b. And d. And others nobody saw the end of the wall really coming. In fact i remember maybe in 198788 i had some german businessmen at my residence in bonn for dinner and they were telling me how the east German Economy was the was the best economy in Eastern Europe that they were that those companies in east germany were were really Good Companies because while they may have been living and they may have been in a communist system they were still german but east germany was struggling economically with the levitated factories and parts of its towns and cities still looking war torn a growing number of people now wanted not only to travel abroad but to leave the country for good in hungary also part of the communist eastern bloc the border to austria was briefly opened in september 1909 and they building thousands of east germans to flee to the west. Its. Meanwhile thousands more were seeking refuge in the west German Embassy in the czechoslovakia and capital prague as communist regimes in Eastern Europe and the cold war itself. Appeared to be close to an end. But many stayed behind in the hope of bringing about change back home by voting with their feet in a different way the now legendary monday demonstrations in leipsic grew in size from one week to the next but there were fears that this opposition would be crushed the uprising by east germans in 1953 had been suppressed by soviet tanks. If the east germans wanted to do in the east germans debated this they called this the chinese solution. Are we going to do our own chin and square but will it be unlike so they could roll in the tanks and put them down there at the hospital beds ready and theyd come to the russians or say we join us and support us if we start killing a lot of our people frankly the soviets no longer believed in that and i think its to their everlast to everlasting credit of Mikhail Gorbachev and others that they no longer believed that their view were so sure they were right that they were willing to kill hundreds or thousands of people to impose their view of what was right on. They it was great statesmanship at a very difficult time. On november 9th 1989 the berlin wall fell the ultimate symbol of German Division and the cold war a momentous event celebrated by germans on either side of the border and on it. Once again the eyes of the world were on berlin. The spark for change in communist Eastern Europe had come from poland in the early 1980 s. And now various regimes were succumbing to the calls for freedom. In december 1909 romanian dictator nicholas ceausescu was toppled in a popular revolution hungary saw a peaceful and successful uprising and in contrast to the prague spring of 1968 soviet troops did not intervene in czechoslovakia. But in moscow Mikhail Gorbachev himself was at risk of being removed by hardliners. We could always feared this strange i remember during the winter of 19891991 of the conversations with chancellor kohl we talked about the danger of what might happen if the if you know we thought it any time there could be a coup or an overthrow of power in the soviet union we began worrying about this in 1909 and even developed a secret army group to work on. And cole had a wonderful expression in this call. Its like the farmer who needs to quickly gather in the hay before the storm because the storm could come at any time and we knew that. Sensing a desire among germans for reunification the west german leader was eager to seize a golden opportunity. Although he needed the go ahead from the superpowers. In the immediate end of the cold war when i think helmut kohl who understood the yearnings of the german people called for vitter for i knew going and got the support of president george h. W. Bush for that despite the fact that Margaret Thatcher and france for a minute or on may have had some 2nd thoughts i think it became inevitable i think the majority of the german people wanted to see it happen but where would a reunified germany stand between the cold war fronts helmut kohl began negotiations with gorbachev and promised to help with the problems his country was facing im seeing on feb 10th 1990 cole was in moscow to give he was promised that if you provided generous help and support the united germany could be a part of nato and another to side with. The soviet union was desperately poor. Helmut kohl ordered donations of food to help the country heading into the winter of 1998. And also to further the cause of german reunification. In july 990 cole visited gorbachev in the latters native caucasus region of southwestern russia. Footage of the 2 men in casual clothing seemed a world away from the cold conflict that had pitted west against east for decades. Good news doesnt even hit me. Kind of hard if you ranch t. Bone and grabs your fists to india i live in for talking to the uk we have you finished a very still in front of ford standing up close. Just kind of dodged around to cyprus and sign a filing gong zinah follow on your shrink just to have any teeth found a dodge front kind of on service and child. Oh very good is this. On september 12th 1900 the 2 plus 4 agreements finally pave the way forward to german unification. That the soviets would begin withdrawing their forces in east germany with helmut kohl pledging to cover the resulting costs. But he knew jim and he was prepared to accept our demand. We needed 14000000000 do it schmucks to build accommodation for the troops to be withdrawn from germany and other things for the future. October 3rd 1900. After 4 decades of Division Germany celebrated its reunification. In berlin until then the pivotal heart of the cold war. For germans the magnitude of the moment perhaps veiled the fact that the cold war was not yet over that the world was still full of Nuclear Missiles and now that too was the subject of negotiations. Richard berke was among the dignitaries on the american side the last major battle of the cold war took place in a negotiating room in geneva. One of the secrets of negotiation of international goshi a ship like this is youre not just negotiating against the other side youre negotiating with your own capital. I mean everybody everybody back in washington was watching what i was doing and they were afraid i was going to give something away. The americans knew that their economy could cope with the potential of the arms race. But the soviet union could not a weakness that washington was able to exploit. The president told me president said listen rick. You know youve got to be prepared if we cant get the kind of agreement we need youve got to be prepared to walk away and thats thats this is the message you got to send to the other side. And it was a message that was understood. The talks culminated in the biggest advance in disarmament since the start of the cold war the strategic arms reduction treaty or start limited the number of Delivery Systems and almost halved the number of Nuclear Warheads deployed by both sides. Also in 1901 on march 31st the Member States of the warsaw pact dissolve the alliance 36 years after it was founded soviet forces were subsequently withdrawn from the entire eastern bloc the collapse of the soviet union itself was now also well underway. The baltic republics had already declared independence in 1900 and in december 1 19019 other members also ceded from the union including russia the soviet union had been succeeded by the commonwealth of independent states the year so gifts in. The. Sheet razzi so what. Use are these human beings who got us. Yeah youre going to show you so you didnt just know it was too busy dealing there is a sense. On december 26th 1991. Almost half a century after the allies had defeated and divided germany one of the victorious superpowers had itself become history. The soviet union had ceased to exist. And its demise marked the end of the cold war. I dont like the expression we won the cold war because the soviets did it to themselves it was a it was not a regime it was a region that could could compete over time it was not a sustainable system sustainable spiritually its sustainable economically. And sustainable politically. Thats not to going to george bush sr thats what george bush sr had also said if we have one you finally have one but in moral terms it is and i would dispute that if they have the minute we were if they kept on repeating youve lost the cold war youll no longer a major power g. T. So shots often dont interfere your opinion doesnt interest us any move of. Communism in Eastern Europe had reached the end of the line. So surely people hoped in the early 1990 s. That would also mean the end of the cold war. The superpowers began scrapping their tanks in a new giant leap for mankind. But 30 years on the saber rattling has resumed some theor a new cold war between the old photos as both sides withdraw from old arms treaties. Our relationship. Has never been worse. Than it is now. Although germany at least has gone on to assume a new role and international affairs. There is this guy and their shows defy gravity. The slack line artist of. The french something struck the balancing act between extreme sports and. Your romance. 30 minutes on d w. Its their obsession for spectacular pictures. Its their passion for nature. Its their complete devotion that makes the wildlife for the 1st in the world. Fascinating and. Confrontational and story. 5 adventures. One goal. The preservation of our planet. Its not just an issue of heart and trees and certain kinds of immoral. Exhaust this danger of surat. Passion for china starts november 6th on t. W. This is due to the news a lot from berlin armenia and azerbaijan trade overnight missile strikes multiple civilians are killed or injured in their sleep as fighting flares up again over the disputed region of no going to carve up bringing with it fears that last weeks russian brokered cease fire has all but broken down and could