Transcending the Cold War. Summits, Statecraft, and the Dissolution of Bipolarity in Europe, 1970-1990

Die Bundeskanzler-Willy-Brandt-Stiftung und das Berliner Kolleg Kalter Krieg laden zur Vorstellung des neuen Sammelbandes von Kristina Spohr und David Reynolds: "Transcending the Cold War. Summits, Statecraft, and the Dissolution of Bipolarity in Europe, 1970-1990" vereint neueste Forschungen zur internationalen Gipfelpolitik und deren Rolle bei der Überwindung des Kalten Krieges. Ob Rüstungskontrolle, das Verhältnis der Supermächte zu China oder die anscheinend unlösbare Deutsche Frage - wie wurde wann von wem und mit welchen Folgen darüber gesprochen? Und was ließe sich daraus für die Bewältigung heutiger Krisen lernen? Bernd Greiner diskutiert mit den beiden Herausgebern über diese und weitere Fragen.

Kristina Spohr, Associate Professor of International History an der London School of Economics, arbeitet zur internationalen Geschichte Deutschlands nach 1945 und zur Globalgeschichte gegen Ende des Kalten Krieges. David Reynolds ist Professor of International History an der University of Cambridge und Fellow am Christ's College. Seine Forschungsschwerpunkte umfassen die Geschichte der USA und Europas im 20. Jahrhundert. Prof. Dr. Bernd Greiner ist Leiter des Berliner Kollegs Kalter Krieg und Mitarbeiter des Hamburger Instituts für Sozialforschung. 

Erste Stimmen zum Buch: 

"High-level summit meetings were a staple feature of international politics throughout the 20th century, but at no time were they more frequent or meaningful than in the final two decades of the Cold War. Two distinguished historians, Kristina Spohr and David Reynolds, have compiled an excellent set of essays about the summits from 1970 to 1990 that both reflected and helped to bring about far-reaching changes in the international system. The contributions of the editors themselves and of other leading experts give readers a superb account of the way summits evolved and the impact they had during these momentous two decades." - Mark Kramer, Director, Cold War Studies, Harvard University

"Kristina Spohr and David Reynolds have boldly undertaken one of the most difficult tasks facing international historians — how to situate leaders within the great forces that shape the world and at the same time gauge how much difference those individuals make. In an elegantly written book which calls on a mass of evidence, they argue persuasively that the summits between key figures such as Khrushchev, Kennedy, Gorbachev or George Bush the elder really mattered. Engaging in face to face negotiations with friends and foes did much to prevent the Cold War from becoming a hot one and, at the end, enabled it to wind down peacefully. Transcending the Cold War is a model of diplomatic history which today's leaders could read with profit." - Margaret MacMillan, St Antony's College, Oxford University

"This is a lucid and compelling account of some of the most important summit meetings of the Cold War. It manages to combine a lively narrative and a wonderful compendium of crucial sources, to address the deeper question of how far individual leaders can be responsible for shaping the course of events, and how far they are shaped by them." - Bridget Kendall, Peterhouse, Cambridge; former BBC Diplomatic Correspondent

Wir weisen darauf hin, dass im Rahmen dieser Veranstaltung Foto- und Tonaufnahmen für öffentliche und nicht-öffentliche Zwecke gemacht werden können.