--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was a time, with the Berlin Wall…" description: "\"There was a time, with the Berlin Wall down, that [it looked as if] the UN finally could do what it was set up to do, the rivalry between the two camps..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/kofi-annan-799_berlin_there-was-a-time-with-the-berlin-wall-do_2422463.png" --- # There was a time, with the Berlin Wall down, that \[it… ![“There was a time, with the Berlin Wall down, that [it looked as if] the UN finally could do what it was set up to do, the rivalry between the two camps would dissipate, and we could all co-operate. And then, of course, Iraq came and blew it all apart. These upheavals will always take place in the…” quote by Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/kofi-annan-799_berlin_there-was-a-time-with-the-berlin-wall-do_2422463.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/kofi-annan-799_berlin_there-was-a-time-with-the-berlin-wall-do_2422463.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/kofi-annan-799_berlin_there-was-a-time-with-the-berlin-wall-do_2422463.png) > “There was a time, with the Berlin Wall down, that \[it looked as if\] the UN finally could do what it was set up to do, the rivalry between the two camps would dissipate, and we could all co-operate. And then, of course, Iraq came and blew it all apart. These upheavals will always take place in the world, and the design and construct of the UN ideally should be such that it can deal with these upheavals, and possibly influence them, and survive and thrive, but it doesn't work out that way, because as an organisation we are so dependent on the same member states.” [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The UN’s purpose is to foster global cooperation, but geopolitical crises and member-state dependence undermine its effectiveness. **In simple terms:** UN aims for cooperation but struggles due to politics. Key Takeaway Strengthen independent mechanisms within the UN. Themes international relations peacekeeping institutional limits Mood cautious hopeful Type analytical critical When to use this quote - peace negotiations - humanitarian aid - policy reform Key Concepts sovereignty collective security Questions to Reflect On - Can the UN reform without member-state consent? - What alternative structures could ensure stability? A Different Perspective Member states can veto or stall essential actions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apart Upheavals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apart-upheavals-6135295/) [Berlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/berlin/) [Berlin wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/berlin-wall/) [Camps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camps/) [Constructs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constructs/) [Courses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courses/) [Deals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deals/) [Dependent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dependent/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Iraq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iraq/) [Iraq Came](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iraq-came-5112748/) [Members](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/members/) [Organisation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organisation/) [Places in the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/places-in-the-world/) [Rivalry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rivalry/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Thrive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thrive/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [United nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-nations/) [Upheaval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upheaval/) [Upheavals Possibly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upheavals-possibly-6135296/) [Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Work out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-out/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“So, whenever the subject of Iraq came up, as it did keep on doing through the Clinton years, I had no excuse for not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/so-whenever-the-subject-of-iraq-came-up-as-it-did-keep-on-doing/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“I celebrate ideals of individual excellence, self-reliance, and personal responsibility… But rugged individualism alone did not get us to the moon. It did not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/i-celebrate-ideals-of-individual-excellence-self-reliance-and/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [“WALLS The Berlin Wall made the news every day. From morning till night we read, saw, heard: the Wall of Shame, the Wall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/walls-the-berlin-wall-made-the-news-every-day-from-morning-till-night/) [Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/) > [“The ethos of East Berlin punk infused the city with a radical egalitarianism and a DIY approach to maintaining independence-to conjuring up the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-mohr/the-ethos-of-east-berlin-punk-infused-the-city-with-a-radical/) [Tim Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-mohr/) > [Fall of the Berlin wall? Being there was fun. Nations that flaked off of the Soviet Union in southeastern Europe, Central Asia, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/fall-of-the-berlin-wall-being-there-was-fun-nations-that-flaked-off/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [The legacy of Ronald Reagan will live on forever. I, of course, had the wonderful opportunity of working with him and getting to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-brady/the-legacy-of-ronald-reagan-will-live-on-forever-i-of-course-had-the/) [Sarah Brady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-brady/) > [I remember when the Berlin Wall fell and suddenly intractable problems get solved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-walker/i-remember-when-the-berlin-wall-fell-and-suddenly-intractable/) [Lucy Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-walker/) > [From the beginning, we failed to overcome Europe's division. The Berlin Wall fell, but invisible walls were moved to the East of Europe. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/from-the-beginning-we-failed-to-overcome-europe-s-division-the-berlin/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [“Did you know that some people wish the Berlin Wall had never come down?” said Esther. “That’s weird, isn’t it? Why would you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liane-moriarty/did-you-know-that-some-people-wish-the-berlin-wall-had-never-come/) [Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/) > [We are living in a world in which developments are harder to predict and one that has become more uncertain. In such a world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jens-stoltenberg/we-are-living-in-a-world-in-which-developments-are-harder-to-predict/) [Jens Stoltenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jens-stoltenberg/) > [“It’s not a very nice solution,” Kennedy acknowledged, “but a wall is a hell of a lot better than a war.”54 The president could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/it-s-not-a-very-nice-solution-kennedy-acknowledged-but-a-wall-is-a/) [John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/) > [This coincided with the fall of the Berlin Wall and Europe coming closer together, and nightlife and techno and ecstasy culture seemed like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-tillmans/this-coincided-with-the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall-and-europe-coming/) [Wolfgang Tillmans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-tillmans/) > [“The fear of a revanchist Germany was revived in 1989, when the Berlin Wall came down and the two Germanys made plans to reunite.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-fear-of-a-revanchist-germany-was-revived-in-1989-when-the-berlin/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not a prophet, but I always thought it was natural for dictatorships to fall. I remember in 1989, two months before the fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-not-a-prophet-but-i-always-thought-it-was-natural-for/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [The fall of the Berlin Wall makes for nice pictures. But it all started in the shipyards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lech-walesa/the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall-makes-for-nice-pictures-but-it-all/) [Lech Walesa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lech-walesa/) ## More by Kofi Annan > [All our efforts to defeat poverty and pursue sustainable development will be in vain if environmental degradation and natural resource depletion continue unabated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/all-our-efforts-to-defeat-poverty-and-pursue-sustainable-development/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [UN peacekeeping operations are now increasingly complex and multi-dimensional, going beyond monitoring a ceasefire to actually bringing failed States back to life, often after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/un-peacekeeping-operations-are-now-increasingly-complex-and-multi/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [We were all children once. And we all share the desire for the well-being of our children, which has always been and will continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/we-were-all-children-once-and-we-all-share-the-desire-for-the-well/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [You will recall that for months after 9/11, there was incredible support and sympathy for the US. I really hoped and wished they had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/you-will-recall-that-for-months-after-9-11-there-was-incredible/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [A nation has the right to defend itself, but when it comes to the broader issue of peace and security, the legitimacy rests only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/a-nation-has-the-right-to-defend-itself-but-when-it-comes-to-the/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Sometimes when you take a tough action against one side in the conflict, they see you as part of the conflict and they attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/sometimes-when-you-take-a-tough-action-against-one-side-in-the/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Some have suggested that ideally there must be some international body that would treat areas like the Arctic as a global commerce, a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/some-have-suggested-that-ideally-there-must-be-some-international/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [In an age of interdependence, global citizenship - based on trust and sense of shared responsibility - is a crucial pillar of progress. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/in-an-age-of-interdependence-global-citizenship-based-on-trust-and/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [We knew the Syrian situation was complex and there were lots of divisions, particularly on the side of the opposition... This is a tough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/we-knew-the-syrian-situation-was-complex-and-there-were-lots-of/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [The question is the morning after. What sort of Iraq do we wake up to after the bombing? What happens in the region? What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/the-question-is-the-morning-after-what-sort-of-iraq-do-we-wake-up-to/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [I laugh a lot inside and outside, and at myself sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/i-laugh-a-lot-inside-and-outside-and-at-myself-sometimes/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Can the state, which represents the whole of society and has the duty of protecting society, fulfill that duty by lowering itself to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/can-the-state-which-represents-the-whole-of-society-and-has-the-duty/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [As long as inequality and other social problems plague us, populists will try to exploit them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/as-long-as-inequality-and-other-social-problems-plague-us-populists/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Developing and newer democracies are much more susceptible to the tactics of populists and demagogues - they often do not have strong institutions, free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/developing-and-newer-democracies-are-much-more-susceptible-to-the/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [The young and dynamic and idealistic people in the square do not have the chance to organise themselves politically, to be able to follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/the-young-and-dynamic-and-idealistic-people-in-the-square-do-not-have/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) [Explore all 366 Kofi Annan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) ## More Berlin quotes > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [I did a concert... in September with the Berlin Philharmonic... They're great musicians, and there's always something to learn from them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecilia-bartoli/i-did-a-concert-in-september-with-the-berlin-philharmonic-they-re/) [Cecilia Bartoli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecilia-bartoli/) > [The fall of the Berlin Wall makes for nice pictures. But it all started in the shipyards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lech-walesa/the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall-makes-for-nice-pictures-but-it-all/) [Lech Walesa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lech-walesa/) > [The music changed. We had Irving Berlin and Gershwin and Lerner and Loewe and Cole Porter. Great music. Now we have 'Rent.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyd-charisse/the-music-changed-we-had-irving-berlin-and-gershwin-and-lerner-and/) [Cyd Charisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyd-charisse/) > [My works are dear to me, each in its own way, I shall have to answer for them on the Day off Judgement. God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-chagall/my-works-are-dear-to-me-each-in-its-own-way-i-shall-have-to-answer/) [Marc Chagall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-chagall/) > [I'm not a prophet, but I always thought it was natural for dictatorships to fall. I remember in 1989, two months before the fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-not-a-prophet-but-i-always-thought-it-was-natural-for/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [The church of St. Peter at Berlin, notwithstanding the total difference between them in the style of building, appears in some respects to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-philipp-moritz/the-church-of-st-peter-at-berlin-notwithstanding-the-total-difference/) [Karl Philipp Moritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-philipp-moritz/) > [...what happened in New York and Washington is the same thing that England and America did to Berlin every day for three years during…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemmy-kilmister/what-happened-in-new-york-and-washington-is-the-same-thing-that/) [Lemmy Kilmister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemmy-kilmister/) > [I am in Paris. Yes ma'am , I made it back. I came up from Berlin, stopped here ten days, fought a losing battle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-anne-porter/i-am-in-paris-yes-ma-am-i-made-it-back-i-came-up-from-berlin-stopped/) [Katherine Anne Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-anne-porter/) > [God bless America, land that I love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-berlin/god-bless-america-land-that-i-love/) [Irving Berlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-berlin/) > [I wouldn't want to live in Berlin. It's bombed out and there's a lot of techno.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/i-wouldn-t-want-to-live-in-berlin-it-s-bombed-out-and-there-s-a-lot/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [Berlin is still a very edgy place, a very cosmopolitan place. It's a place where completely different ideas and cultures come together and clash…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-bremmer/berlin-is-still-a-very-edgy-place-a-very-cosmopolitan-place-it-s-a/) [Ian Bremmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-bremmer/) > [Berlin would be a great place to have no cell phone, I think. Especially if you were able to live in a central location.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-ebert/berlin-would-be-a-great-place-to-have-no-cell-phone-i-think/) [Alex Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-ebert/) > [Those who have ever valued liberty for its own sake believed that to be free to choose, and not to be chosen for, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-berlin/those-who-have-ever-valued-liberty-for-its-own-sake-believed-that-to/) [Isaiah Berlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah-berlin/) > [The toughest thing about success is that you've got to keep on being a success. Talent is only a starting point in this business.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-berlin/the-toughest-thing-about-success-is-that-you-ve-got-to-keep-on-being/) [Irving Berlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-berlin/) [Browse all 438 Berlin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/berlin/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There was a time, with the Berlin Wall down, that [it looked as if] the UN finally could do what it was set up to do, the rivalry between the two camps would dissipate, and we could all co-operate. And then, of course, Iraq came and blew it all apart. These upheavals will always take place in the world, and the design and construct of the UN ideally should be such that it can deal with these upheavals, and possibly influence them, and survive and thrive, but it doesn't work out that way, because as an organisation we are so dependent on the same member states.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kofi Annan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/there-was-a-time-with-the-berlin-wall-down-that-it-looked-as-if-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Berlin" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/there-was-a-time-with-the-berlin-wall-down-that-it-looked-as-if-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/kofi-annan-799_berlin_there-was-a-time-with-the-berlin-wall-do_2422463.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/kofi-annan-799_berlin_there-was-a-time-with-the-berlin-wall-do_2422463.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/kofi-annan-799_berlin_there-was-a-time-with-the-berlin-wall-do_2422463.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There was a time, with the Berlin Wall down, that [it looked as if] the UN finally could do what it was set…” — Kofi Annan", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Kofi Annan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There was a time, with the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/there-was-a-time-with-the-berlin-wall-down-that-it-looked-as-if-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/there-was-a-time-with-the-berlin-wall-down-that-it-looked-as-if-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```