Today is day 179 of my exile.
Exile 179.
Nineteen seventy-nine.
In the Federal Republic of Germany, the NATO Double-Track Decision defines the year. The decision to station new intermediate-range missiles in Western Europe while simultaneously offering negotiations with the Soviet Union intensifies the tensions of the Cold War. Security is being redefined; deterrence and willingness to negotiate stand side by side. Social debates are beginning to harden.
In the GDR, the political leadership remains focused on stability. State and party secure their control, while many people seek spaces of freedom in their private lives. The division of Germany remains unchanged, yet it is embedded in a global balance that is increasingly coming under pressure.
Internationally, the situation changes fundamentally. In Iran, the Islamic Revolution overthrows the Shah and establishes a new order under religious leadership. In Afghanistan, Soviet troops march in, a step that emerges from regional conflicts and global bloc confrontation. Wars and interventions arise from the interests of multiple sides, from ideology, security thinking, and power politics.
Between the détente policies of the early seventies and renewed confrontation, a phase of growing uncertainty begins. Economic concerns, energy issues, and geopolitical rivalry intertwine. Nineteen seventy-nine does not mark an open world war, but it lays down lines that will shape the coming decade.
Exile 179.
The world holds its breath, not knowing where the next step will lead.
The NATO Double-Track Decision, the revolution in Iran, and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan shape 1979. Germany remains divided, embedded in a newly hardened East–West relationship. A year of growing tensions without an open world war.
Exile Chronicle
All previous (from 130 – earlier entries are on X/Twitter) and ongoing entries of my Exile Chronicle are collected and documented here:
👉 https://marlas.army/exil-chronik/
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