Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.09.2011, Blaðsíða 34

34
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 14 — 2011
Opinion | Valur Gunnarsson
Born in the mid-seventies, I prob-
ably belong to the last generation
to have a clear memory of the Cold
War. As a child, I remember looking
in the basement for a place to hide
in the event of nuclear attack. This
was more than just paranoia. After
the collapse of the Soviet Union, it
actually did come to light that the
Russians had four nuclear missiles
pointed at Reykjavík, ready to go off
in the event of war.
Iceland in the 1980s, although firmly in
the capitalist camp, had some noticeably
Eastern bloc elements. It traded propor-
tionately more with the Communist bloc
than any other NATO country. Like most
Icelanders my age, I grew up eating Pol-
ish chocolate, watching Czech cartoons
and my parents drove a Lada. In return,
the other side imported Icelandic fish to
such an extent that the United States re-
portedly at one point considered buying
up all of Iceland’s fish exports to stop it
from trading with the enemy.
THE DECLINE OF THE EMPIRES
In 1986, the leaders of the two superpow-
ers met in Iceland to bring about an end
to the Cold War. The Soviet Union was in
serious economic trouble by then; the
US seemed to be doing somewhat bet-
ter. Some people took a different view. A
little film from Canada, ‘The Decline of
the American Empire,’ was nominated
as best foreign language film, but did not
win. It was not this decline that was on
everyone's minds.
In 2011, I find myself living in Canada.
Some say it was an event that took place
here, and not in Reykjavík, that marked
the true beginning of the end of the Cold
War. When Gorbachev, on a visit in 1983,
walked into a Canadian supermarket and
saw the variety of consumer products on
offer for the general public and not just
party apparatchiks, he knew the Cold
War was lost.
THE COST FOR THE RUSSIANS
My girlfriend works in a créperie along
with people from all over the former Sovi-
et Union: Moldova, Kazakhstan, Ukraine
and Russia itself. One is a brain surgeon,
another a nutritionist, none can find suit-
able work in Canada but still feel they
enjoy a better standard of living than in
their native country. They are not politi-
cal exiles as they might have been during
Soviet times, but rather victims of a failed
economic policy.
Meanwhile, the wealth of the mother-
land has been divided between a handful
of oligarchs and the political system has
slipped back into authoritarianism, if not
outright totalitarianism, under Putin. Gor-
bachev’s policies were a blessing for the
people of Eastern Europe, but in Russia,
the results are more mixed, which is why
he is still generally idolised in most of Eu-
rope, but disliked at home
THE COST FOR THE AMERICANS
The bill for the end of the Cold War came
later to America, but it was also high.
Reagan argued that you could cut taxes
and that this would stimulate the econo-
my enough to not only make up for the
tax cuts, but also provide additional rev-
enue for military spending. This proved
false, and a bad habit from the Reagan
years was nonchalance towards public
debt that is now costing the United States
dearly.
True, the debt was brought under
control by Clinton, but George W. Bush,
inspired by Reagan, thought that debt did
not matter as long as you won the war.
Bush did not win his wars, but managed
to run up a huge bill nonetheless. Had the
Soviet Union not collapsed and the Cold
War not been won, Reagan’s presidency
would most probably have been viewed
as a failure and the dangers of Reagan-
omics would have come to light earlier.
Instead, the bill has to be paid now.
25 YEARS ON FROM HöFðI
In Montreal, I recently saw a comedy
show, hosted by the Daily Show’s John
Oliver, called ‘The Decline of the Ameri-
can Empire.’ The idea of the United States
being in decline has gone from art house
cinema to mainstream comedy.
An apocryphal story tells of an Icelan-
dic translator for a German TV crew at the
time of the Höfði summit overhearing the
Germans remark, upon seeing the state
of the Soviet broadcasting equipment,
that the Soviet Union had five years left,
the United States, twenty-five.
I would still be mildly surprised if
the United States would collapse before
Christmas. A more conservative estimate
would probably give them another half
century before they finally give way to the
Chinese. On the other hand, the Soviet
Union collapsed far quicker than anyone,
outside of the German TV crew, could
have predicted in 1986. Twenty-five years
on from Höfði, the state of the super-
power that survived the Cold War seems
more perilous than ever.
The True Cost Of
The Cold War
Oh, Gipper!
Mountaineers of Iceland • Skútuvogur 12E • 104 Reykjavík • Iceland
Telephone: +354 580 9900 Ice@mountaineers.is • www.mountaineers.is • www. activity.is
SUPER JEEP & SNOWMOBILE TOURS
Hey! We are Couch Fest Films. We are
an international short film festival that
happens in strangers' houses on Sep-
tember 24. For 2011, we are giddy to be
here in Iceland collaborating with the
Reykjavik International Film Festival.
Couch Fest Films is not an online
event, nor a broadcast event. We are a
film festival that replaces traditional
theatre venues with cosy, residential
venues. So, on Saturday, September 24,
2011, each host house participating in
Couch Fest Films around Reykjavík will
present a unique programme of short
movies that play on the hour from 11am–
7pm. Festivalgoers are welcome to visit
as many of the homes as they like. Ad-
mission will likely be 500 ISK per house,
and 2.000 ISK for the entire day.
“Wouldn't it be awkward watch-
ing films with strangers' in someone’s
house?” It could be awkward. Especially
if you are watching really crappy films.
That's why we scrape every tube of the
Internet and overdraft our defaulted
travel budget attending film festivals
to find the best mind-blowing films we
can. We have attended some of the most
established film festivals in the world—
for example, the Seattle International
Film Festival, CFC Worldwide Shorts
Toronto, SF Shorts, SXSW, Melbourne
International Film Festival, and New
Horizon in Poland. And, as if spending
months living off insomnia, GoGurt,
and fruit leather wasn't enough, we also
attend the more obscure film festivals,
like the International Random Film Fes-
tival in Bór Zapilski, Poland, hoping to
find a rare gem. But let's not forget the
amazing people who engage with the
festival that make it wicked good. We
love seeing all the different backgrounds
that come to the festival. We have had
families, students and co-ops host. And,
on any given couch, you can see bik-
ers, students, parents, tourists, locals,
kids, actors and filmmakers all sharing
laughs, armrests and snacks.
In Reykjavík, the houses will be
conveniently located near each other to
encourage walking and biking, and al-
low the curious to experience several
programmes during the day. A short
intermission in the middle of each pro-
gramme will allow viewers to discuss
the films and socialise. Participants will
have the opportunity to interact, share
and discover new films and fellow lov-
ers of film. Maybe you love film. Maybe
you like the idea of sitting on your rump.
Well, that's kind of what we like too.
Thus was born the idea of Couch Fest
Films.
Currently, we are still looking for
some last-minute houses to host for our
scrappy film festival. Drop us an email
if you want to host, volunteer, sponsor
or have any questions: propaganda@
couchfestfilms.com
CRAIG DOWNING
Film | Festival
A Film Festival In
Strangers' Houses in
Reykjavík!