”To avoid drawing wrong lessons from the Cold War – an untypical war resulting from a concurrence of historical cirumstances unlikely to ever recur.”            

”The Cold War, like all global political processes, is important to study in order to draw lessons for a better understanding and to preserve world peace. Much of today’s geopolitical tensions have been dragging on since the end of World War II. It is important to draw parallels and look for experiences in conflict resolution….

”More than any other historical subject, the Cold War sets the stage for the state of international relations today. Whether it’s Russian revanchism on the rise, the Chinese ascent to global power status, perennial calamity in the Middle East, or the erosion of Western-style democracy around the world, the contours of the Cold War loom…

”Studying the Cold War provides invaluable insights into the historical, geopolitical, and strategic dimensions of current international affairs. In Europe, it constitutes an important context for the Russian-Ukrainian war. While the present situation differs in important ways, the legacies of the Cold War continue to shape the dynamics of the relationship between the West and…

”There are many reasons why the study of the Cold War is relevant today. One reason is that after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 the American-led worldwide alliance – contrary to expectations at the time – has survived. The United States and its allies, like Japan, Germany and Britain, today control more…

”Studying the Cold War is significant today for at least three reasons. First, there continues to be disagreement among academics and practitioners alike as to what the Cold War was. Was it primarily a period in time? Was the Cold War the defining feature of its time or were there competing developments of equal importance…

”I would like to make two points here. First, if we analyse the Cold War period in a nuanced way (see below), we can see that it is important to question the way actors interpreted the period. The same critical work needs to be done today. It is also important to reassess the role of…

”The simple answer is that we are now once again facing a perceived threat from Russia. As a historian working at the Dutch Ministry of Defence, I notice that for many people, the Cold War is already a period from a rather distant past. Now that the threat is again coming from the east, however,…

”Whether we look at international institutions, global civil society, or military conflicts in the world today, it is clear that the Cold War has left a lasting mark. In my research on transnational activism, I see that many of the protest movements that are popular now find their roots in activist networks that emerged within…

”It invites oblique perspectives and counterintuitive approaches as the in-depth study of the Cold War reveals more diversity and subversion than meets the eye, thus standing well beyond superficial and distinctively polarized preconceptions. If you accept this immersive invitation, you will discover figures and groups that defied any apparent form of status quo to dare…