Winston Churchill’s “Sinews of Peace” address of March 5, 1946, at Westminster College, used the term “iron curtain” in the context of Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe.
Moscow, via Vladimir Putin, is seeking to expand its control in the world. Is it time for another Churchill to stand up and sound the warning?
From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an “Iron Curtain” has descended across the continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe. Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia; all these famous cities and the populations around them lie in what I must call the Soviet sphere, and all are subject, in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and in some cases increasing measure of control from Moscow.
And from Bret Baier …
A little historical irony today: On this day 68 years ago at Westminster College in Fulton, Mo. former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill delivered one of the most famous speeches of the 20th century, now considered one of the opening rhetorical shots of the Cold War. In his ‘Iron Curtain’ speech, Churchill condemned the Soviet Union’s policies in Europe and declared, ‘From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent.’ Specifically, Churchill warned against the expansionistic policies of the Soviet Union and advised that in dealing with the Soviets there was ‘nothing which they admire so much as strength, and there is nothing for which they have less respect than for military weakness.’ The speech was warmly received by then-President Harry Truman, a Missourian, who was on stage with Churchill. The question is, 68 years later, could Churchill’s warnings apply to a former KGB agent named Vladimir Putin. And how would Churchill’s speech be received by the Obama administration, which at least so far, insists Putin wants an ‘off-ramp’ to the situation and a communication strategy that seems to center around making sure everyone understands that this is not ‘Rocky IV.’
Power of the Holy Spirit 