«   

   »   

Berlin has always had formidable opposition, from London to Paris, Rome and Athens. In the 20th Century, New York has taken up the mantle some of Berlin's rulers claimed. In trying to capture the global imagination, Berlin has championed new, not always reputable, artistic, cultural, social, economic, as well as political movements. Even the end of the Cold War showed that Berlin still held a corner on the global stage. With public relations playing an ever important role in capturing and retaining a grip on people's imagination, Berlin packaged the reconstruction of Potsdamerplatz as a spectacle for the global agora.