Transcending the Cold War: Summits, Statecraft, and the Dissolution of Bipolarity in Europe, 1970–1990Kristina Spohr, David Reynolds In 1989 and 1990 the map of Europe was redrawn without a war, unlike other great ruptures of the international order such as 1815, 1870, 1918, and 1945. How did this happen? This major multinational study, based on archives from both sides of the 'Iron Curtain', highlights the contribution of international statecraft to the peaceful dissolution of Europe's bipolar order by examining pivotal summit meetings from 1970 to 1990. These are organized into three periods: 'Thawing', 'Living with', and 'Transcending' the Cold War. The volume offers fascinating insights into key statesmen such as Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, Leonid Brezhnev and Mikhail Gorbachev, Willy Brandt and Helmut Kohl, Zhou Enlai and Deng Xiaoping. It explores the central issues of the superpowers and arms control, their triangular relationship with China, and the seemingly intractable German question. Particular attention is devoted to the cultural dimensions of summitry, as performative acts for the media and as encounters with 'the Other' across ideological divides. All these threads are drawn together in a sweeping analytical conclusion. Written in lively prose, Transcending the Cold War is essential reading for anyone interested not just in modern history but also current international affairs. |
Contents
Thawing the Cold | |
Beijing 1972 | |
Moscow 1972 | |
Helsinki 1975 | |
Bonn Guadeloupe and Vienna 19789 | |
Geneva Reykjavik Washington and Moscow 19858 | |
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agreement Alliance allies American arms control Bahr Beijing Berlin Bonn Bonn’s Brandt Brezhnev Brzezinski Bush Bush’s Carter chancellor China Chinese Cold Cold War communist CSCE December Democratic Deng détente diplomacy diplomatic Dobrynin DzD VI/1 East German Eastern Europe EastWest economic Erfurt European February Final Act foreign policy FRUS GBPL Geneva George H.W. Bush Germany’s global Gorbachev Guadeloupe Helsinki henceforth Henry Kissinger issue July Kassel Kissinger Kissinger’s Kohl Kohl’s Kremlin Malta meeting Memcon Memorandum of Conversation military missiles Moscow National Security NATO NATO’s negotiations Nixon November NSAEBB NSC Files nuclear weapons October Ostpolitik peace People’s Politburo political president President’s Reagan relations Reykjavik Richard Nixon RNPL RRPL SALT SALT II Schmidt Shultz SinoAmerican SinoSoviet Soviet leader Soviet Union SovietAmerican Stoph strategic summit summitry superpower Taiwan talks treaty unification United USSR Vietnam wanted Washington West Western White House Willy Brandt York Zhou Enlai