The right side of history

Recent history suggests that the formation of economic blocs is imminent, and choosing a side could have lasting consequences.

After World War II, the world split in two. On one side, the capitalist bloc; on the other, the communist one. There was also a third group, the non-aligned countries, often lacking the resources to stand out. Berlin became a tangible symbol of this division, split into four sectors: American, British, French and Soviet. Three of them aligned with capitalism, while the fourth fell under communist control. The lives of many Berliners changed drastically depending on the neighbourhood they lived in.

## the wall and the choice

The construction of the **Berlin Wall** in **1961** physically separated families and friends, but it also symbolised the impossibility of moving freely between ideologies. Few citizens on the Soviet side wanted to move to the western one, which says a great deal about the perceptions of that era. In a world without the internet, information flowed differently, but the possibility of observing and, in a sense, choosing which side of history one wanted to live on was there.

## the new divide

Today, some analysts see parallels with the current geopolitical situation. The formation of two major economic blocs is coming into view. On one side, the so-called sovereigntist bloc, with **BRICS** as one of its pillars. On the other, the globalist bloc, which would include Western countries, **Japan** and **Australia**. The dynamic suggests that, as in the past, a moment may come when the options for alignment become more limited.