The end of the Cold War

Two decades ago history took a turn for the better when the Cold War came to an end in 1989. The superpower summit that took place in Malta between President George H. Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev allowed for the Cold War to end peacefully.

Taking place only three weeks after the fall of the Berlin Wall no one should take for granted the significance of the Malta Summit that played a critical role in the soft landing of the end of the Cold War. The international media referred to the meeting in Malta as the most important since the Yalta meeting of 1945. The human and personal bond that was established between Mr Bush and Mr Gorbachev in Malta allowed for the subsequent careful orchestration of superpower relations that resulted in an enduring peace.

In a few days' time at the start of December an international conference on the 'End of the Cold War and the Mediterranean' will be hosted by the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies. Numerous international speakers including John Sununu, Mr Bush's former Chief of Staff, and Alexander Bessmertnykh, former foreign minister of Russia, will address the meeting. James Baker, former Secretary of State, will also address the meeting via video link.

This international gathering of policymakers and scholars will focus on international relations in the Mediterranean area with a particular examination of patterns of relations in the Euro-Mediterranean area since the end of the Cold War. Two decades after the Cold War ended it has become clearer that the bipolar international system of the latter part of the 20th century has given way to a multipolar system.

After the Bush-Gorbachev summit, we saw great and momentous changes in the world. A unified Germany came as a result of the end of the Cold War. The Iron Curtain was dismantled and the Warsaw Pact dissolved. Democracy returned to Hungary, Poland, the Baltic Republics, Czechoslovakia. Imagine the pleasure of living that beautiful dawn. The end of the Cold War and all the consequent changes was a period of great hope and happiness.

Two decades on from the end of the Cold War there are clearer signs that the East-West divide of the past is, however, being replaced by an international security system where north-south divisions are becoming the dominant feature.

Unlike the European continent where the fall of the Iron Curtain ushered in a period of reconciliation, the Mediterranean remains a frontier area of divisions. European and Middle East international region disparities and conflict continue to be the hallmark of Mediterranean interchange.

In the Mediterranean the EU is already seeking to project prosperity and resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict but much more needs to be done if a more effective Mediterranean policy is to be achieved. The main challenge for international organisations is to match their policy statements with action on the ground. Given the fact that Europe's security is indivisible from that of the Mediterranean, the EU must continue to adopt a more proactive stance.

As the sole superpower, the US continues to play a leadership role in the Middle East. But it is in the EU's interest to adopt a more active diplomatic role in seeking to restore stability in the Middle East.

An external relations policy that focuses on trying to help Israel and the Palestinians forge a common ground despite their clear differences should be the driving force of such a re-think.

As the Cold War was ending Mr Gorbachev told Mr Bush: "Do not speak about Western values as today we have common, universal values. Let us feel that we have this shared bond in the Mediterranean.

The Mediterranean is a common sea where our common values flow. At the start of the 21st century, the Mediterranean must avoid becoming a strategic fault-line between the prosperous North and an impoverished South.

In this context the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies has been playing a vital role over the past 20 years. MEDAC has developed into a centre of excellence focusing on Mediterranean affairs where over 600 diplomats have graduated and thousands have participated in official confidence building seminars.

With alumni from over 40 countries MEDAC has been at the forefront in training diplomats from the Mediterranean region and beyond. Having achieved this milestone which happily coincides with the end of the Cold War, MEDAC looks forward to fostering closer cooperative relations across the Mediterranean and beyond in the years ahead.

Prof. de Marco is chairman of the Mediterranean Academy for Diplomatic Studies, while Prof. Calleya is director.