Стр. 4 - V

Author : A. Frolov
Leading research fellow, Institute of International Relations, Doctor of Science (History)
THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY of the Victory in
the Great Patriotic War is a special day in Russia:
"There is gladness, but with sadness in our eyes."
Time is increasing the distance between us and the
memorable day in May 1945 yet the results and les-
sons of the war remain hugely important for the
fate of the world and the system of international
relations. Much has been written about the military-
political lessons of World War II and the world development trends it started. Today, the devel-
opments on the European continent bring to mind certain very important lessons of this war.
The war shaped the political map of Europe and Asia as we know it now. Impressed by the
struggle of the Soviet people against the invaders the world opened doors of diplomatic recog-
nition; Russian became one of the official tongues of the world.
Today, on the one hand, Russia is losing some of its political and economic positions because
of Western pressure prompted by Moscow's stand on the Ukrainian crisis. On the other, prac-
tically no international problem - the Iranian nuclear program, the Middle East conflicts - can
be settled without Russia.
The West feared the Soviet Union; there is no doubt about it. This did nothing good to the re-
lationships with the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc. The Soviet leaders feared that Western
influence would destroy the gains of the 1917 revolution, socialist values and the Soviet state.
The "iron curtain," the product of bilateral efforts, is one of the results of fears, apprehensions
and mutual mistrust.
Nuclear weapons can be described as one of the results of World War II, devised and created
while the war was still raging. While in Berlin, Harry Truman learned about the first successful
nuclear test and hastened to share the news with Winston Churchill who immediately suggested
that the new weapon could be used against one of the major Soviet industrial centers.
The Yalta-Potsdam system has not yet exhausted its potentials. No matter how much Washington
wants to push aside the world community and its opinion it should take the UN into account
when dealing with serious international crises and conflicts.
The future of Russia depends on its economic course, support of science, fundamental science
in the first place, freedom of creativity, and its ability to free its citizens from bureaucratic and
other bonds.
The memory of the Great Victory is the factor which inspires the nation. There is no much
sense in taking offense at some countries which made May 9 the Day of Memory. In Russia,
May 9 is Victory Day, the day of Our Victory.
Электронное приложение к журналу «Международная жизнь»
The Victory and the Fate of the World