All Systems Are Fragile, But Some More Than Others

Jeremy Cliffe, New Statesman
It was evocative to move with the crowds in Berlin last night, through Potsdamer Platz, along the dark pathways of the Tiergarten Park and onto the Strae des 17. Juni in front of the Brandenburg Gate. The commemorations of the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Wall recalled elements of that very night of 9 November 1989: the masses striding purposefully through the Berlin streets, the echo of footsteps, the excited chatter, the breath condensing in the cold air. There were also big differences, of course. The way was lit by the glow of smartphones.