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New world realignment is underway, but it has not yet found its Yalta

16 February 2015 / 12:02:51  GRReporter
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     We usually do not ever practise to reflect on the counter-current, on what would happen "if ...", we consider the events as they are. However, I do not see the possibility of another solution, as well as for other Eastern European countries in which the Red Army had entered, whether the Communist Party was strong enough to win the elections alone. For example, in Czechoslovakia and Hungary, it was too weak and could not win the elections regardless of the occupation regime in these areas. Yet the Red Army made an internal coup in these countries and placed the Communists on top of power without running into elections. Therefore, I do not see another alternative for Bulgaria.
     Why did our country not seek the assistance of the other two great powers?
     There were no conditions for doing so. Let us not forget that Bulgaria unilaterally declared war on them in December 1941, saying that this would be a symbolic war. Then, when the bombing began, the war was not so symbolic and they had no reason to sympathise with Bulgarians. Conversely, Churchill considered the allocation of the country to Stalin as a way to punish it for its treachery. He specifically had a sharp edge on Bulgarians. As for Americans, they were too far away. This was also evident at the Yalta Conference itself. Roosevelt was generally under the influence of Stalin’s charisma. Roosevelt and Churchill could hardly be regarded as teammates, Roosevelt was too prejudiced against Churchill and for him, he embodied the old British imperialism, the old politician who sustained the colonial system. In this sense, in purely political terms, Roosevelt was willing to give priority to Stalin than to Churchill. Therefore, what should be said about the policy of Roosevelt would be that even in the very course of the war he had become disinterested in the fate of Eastern Europe, leaving the Brits and Soviets to decide on it.
     When Truman appeared, he tried to correct all this but it was too late. He realised that it would take to use force to deter communism and this was why the United States had ultimately assisted the Greek government in crushing the communist resistance there.
     70 years after the Yalta Conference, could we talk about a new realignment of the influence of the Great Powers in the modern world for the time being?
     Perhaps something similar is underway but it has not yet found its "Yalta". Russia is probably trying to change the status quo, and it remains to be seen where it will stop. Clearly, it will not be able to change the entire world order alone, but as for nearby regions, it will try to restore its influence. However, it can be said that over the past two years the Yalta order has been undermined, since Yalta boundaries and agreements have been perceived as the same thing, in purely territorial and geopolitical aspect. We have recently seen that the Yalta borders can be broken.
     How do you perceive the monument of the three powerful players that was erected in honour of the Yalta Conference of Crimea peninsula, which is one of the disputed territories in Europe today?
     This is totally normal, both for historical and advertising purposes. Each of the three has contributed to human history, although in a sinister way in some cases. Anyway, each one of them deserves to be remembered in one way or another.

 

 

Tags: Yalta ConferenceConsequences for Bulgaria and GreeceFranklin Roosevelt Winston ChurchillJoseph StalinRed ArmyAssociate Professor Michael Gruev
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