On March 5, 1946, Winston Churchill delivered his famous “Iron Curtain” speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. In it, he warned of Soviet expansionism and the growing divide in Europe. Many see this speech as the unofficial start of the Cold War, not just because Churchill identified the communist threat but because he called on the West to unite against it.
His words still resonate today. The geopolitical landscape of our time bears striking similarities to the world he described nearly eighty years ago. Once again, Russian aggression and Western disunity threaten to plunge us into an era of confrontation. Back then, Churchill turned to U.S. President Harry Truman, urging him to rally the free world. Truman saw the danger clearly and responded with the Truman Doctrine, a foreign policy designed to contain the spread of communism.
A World We Thought We Had Left Behind
I grew up on the wrong side of the Iron Curtain. I know what it means to live in a world where freedom is not a given. I remember the way the state controlled everything, how people measured their words carefully, fearing the consequences of speaking too freely. I remember the feeling of being trapped in a divided world, where history seemed to have already determined which side of the line we were destined to live on.
And then came 1989. The fall of the Berlin Wall was more than just a historic moment—it was euphoria, liberation, hope. We truly believed that a new era had begun, one where democracy and freedom were no longer privileges but fundamental rights. A generation came of age convinced that history had finally turned in the right direction.
And now, over thirty years later, I stand here, looking at today’s world, and I can hardly believe what I see.
Is the West Tearing Itself Apart?
Russia has waged war in the heart of Europe. Wars of aggression are nothing new, but what shocks me most is not just the invasion itself—it’s the West’s inability to respond with unity and clarity. Once again, short-term political interests, populist agendas, and internal divisions are taking precedence over the values that were supposed to bind us together.
During his first presidency, Donald Trump shook the foundations of the transatlantic alliance. He imposed tariffs on allies, questioned NATO’s relevance, and pursued a foreign policy that fueled division rather than unity. Now, in his second term, he is doubling down: escalating economic threats, openly undermining alliances, and extending a hand to Vladimir Putin while casting doubt on NATO’s future.
Just yesterday, in a speech before Congress and the Senate, he boasted about his own achievements, distorted the truth, and rambled incoherently. He openly suggested that NATO was falling apart while signaling friendship toward Putin—undermining the very foundations of Western cooperation. Meanwhile, Europe is left increasingly vulnerable, and China and Russia are watching with barely concealed satisfaction as the West weakens from within.
The Return of the Iron Curtain?
We once thought the Iron Curtain had fallen for good. That the world had finally moved beyond such divisions. But today, I fear a new Iron Curtain is descending—not between East and West, but within the West itself.
For decades, we took democracy and international cooperation for granted. We believed that Western unity was unshakable. But now, populist leaders are challenging the very principles that generations before us fought to defend. Autocrats are gaining ground, and the idea of freedom itself is being redefined, twisted, and, in some cases, discarded altogether.
Churchill and Truman understood the lessons of history. They knew that when freedom is under threat, only a united response can preserve it. The question is: do today’s leaders recognize this truth? Or will they allow another Iron Curtain to descend upon the world?