Slapping a band-aid on a bullet hole will not solve a problem, but instead will allow the problem to fester. Temporary solutions to political problems after wars seem expedient and practical, but in the long run they become untenable as the resentment and problems mount. The interim decision to quarter Berlin and bisect Korea led to far reaching and devastating results.
The decision to temporarily split Germany and Berlin in particular led to increased tensions between the United States and the U.S.S.R. and the Berlin Wall. After Germany was defeated in World War II, the country was divided into 4 quadrants to allow for the rebuilding of the country under the watchful eyes of France, Great Britain, the U.S. and the U.S.S.R., but ideological differences led to Germany and Berlin in particular being split. Movement from East to West was restricted and people died attempting to cross the Berlin Wall that was erected in 1961 to prevent defection from the communist sector. The result was that the Area of West Berlin that was within the boundaries of Soviet occupied territory became isolated and people living on the East side of the wall attempted to cross the wall, often dying in the process. The temporary solution to the problem of Nazi Germany was to divide it into pieces among the allies, but this caused even greater problems as families and lives within Germany were separated, and it wasn’t until 1990 when the Berlin Wall was dismantled that Berlin once again became a unified city.
Unification is the also the hope of Korea, which was divided in a similar manner after World War II. Korea was also “temporarily” split up in order to facilitate its rebuilding after the Japanese occupation. The defeat of the Japanese left the Korean peninsula in ruins and rudderless, and so the United Nations decided to divide the country along the 38th parallel and have the Soviet Union administer the northern part while the United States would administer the southern part. This was to be a temporary solution until the Koreans could establish their own government. Unfortunately again the ideological differences between the 2 new superpowers caused each to support a different type of government and no real consensus was attained, instead the entire peninsula became embroiled in a war that has technically lasted over 50 years. Korea is still split and still at war and the temporary solution has caused problems far worse than any presented after the Japanese withdrawal.
The problem with temporary fixes is that they appear to solve a problem, appear being the operative word. In reality the “fix” actually leads to a whole host of other complications and the problems become insurmountable. A slow, considered solution is a better choice as it will address all possible complications before they become insurmountable.
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