US president George Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev ended the Cold War in Malta 25 years ago, opening up a new era in global politics.

When Mikhail Gorbachev warned that tensions between the US and Russia over Ukraine risked a return to the Cold War, many took notice.

The former leader of the Soviet Union was one of the protagonists who ended the Cold War 25 years ago in Marsaxlokk Bay.

Speaking in Germany last month at the 25th anniversary celebrations of the fall of the Berlin wall, Mr Gorbachev called for tensions to be controlled.

How likely the world is to be on the brink of another Cold War is debatable, but according to Stephen Calleya, professor of international relations at the University of Malta, Mr Gorbachev’s words must not be interpreted literally.

The world has changed completely over the past 25 years, since US president George Bush and Mr Gorbachev sealed the end of the Cold War on a Soviet destroyer anchored in Marsaxlokk Bay, he added.

The geopolitical structure today is not defined by two super powers

“The geopolitical structure today is not defined by two superpowers, two rigid blocs as it was then, and so the possibility of returning to the Cold War is an exaggeration at worst and an oversimplification at the least,” Prof. Calleya said.

He noted that Mr Gorbachev’s comments hinted it was in no one’s interest, not least Europe’s, to isolate Russia.

“It is also in no one’s interest to take for granted the cooperative relationship between the US and Russia that developed after the end of the Cold War,” Prof. Calleya said.

Tension has been rising in Europe, with Ukraine accusing Russia of arming rebels and sending troops into its restless eastern provinces, which are seeking secession.

Earlier this year, Russia annexed Crimea, a Ukrainian province with a majority of Russian speakers.

Russia’s actions have earned it a rebuke from the EU and the US and sanctions imposed against top Russian officials.

Mikhail Gorbachev with Eddie Fenech Adami. Malta’s hosting of the summit is regarded as part of the island’s foreign policy tradition to act as an honest broker.

A quarter of a century since Mr Bush and Mr Gorbachev buried the hatchet, never have the relations between the US and Russia been at such a low.

But much as the 25th anniversary of the end of the Cold War can have relevance to today’s debate on tensions in Ukraine, Prof. Calleya believes the importance of the event as a marker of Malta’s international diplomacy should not go unnoticed.

The Bush-Gorbachev summit was an important milestone in Malta’s foreign policy, he said.

“It showed the two superpowers were comfortable to come here and discuss the issues at stake.

“Malta had offered a platform for such an important meeting that was part of a lengthy peace process.”

This type of diplomacy formed part of Malta’s foreign policy tradition to act as an honest broker, according to Prof. Calleya.

“Others can come here because we offer a platform where the message can be communicated without us having a direct interest in the matter. We should be proud of this tradition,” he said.

What was it all about?

In the aftermath of World War II the world was practically split down the middle, with the US and its western allies on one side and the Soviet Union and its eastern allies on the opposite end.

The heightened tension led to a nuclear race as both sides prepared for war as a precautionary measure.

It was a period of instability, with the world coming to the brink of nuclear warfare during the Cuban Missile Crisis when the Soviet Union wanted to place nuclear missiles on the Caribbean island nation. The US objected and blockaded the area to prevent Soviet warships from reaching Cuba.

The Soviets climbed down but relations remained strained as both superpowers used regional conflicts in various parts of the world to enhance their circle of influence.

The relationship between the superpowers started to thaw when Mikhail Gorbachev became Soviet president. His politics of glasnost and perestroika (openness and restructuring) eventually led to the crumbling of the Communist bloc, which culminated in the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989.

A month later, in Malta, US president George Bush and Mr Gorbachev declared the end of the Cold War and started a process of de-escalation.

The Malta summit happened 25 years ago to the day on board the Soviet warship Maxim Gorky as stormy weather lashed the island.

kurt.sansone@timesofmalta.com