New Perspectives on the Cold War and its Legacies

There is an ongoing debate about whether or not the present world is entering a new Cold War era. Some scholars argue that recent developments in international relations echo trends that dominated much of the twentieth century during the Cold War or even reveal underlying continuities with it. Others argue, by contrast, that the major ideological underpinnings of the Cold War no longer exist. The Warsaw Pact and COMECON collapsed long ago, as did the Communist regime in Moscow. It is new and asymmetrical threats that challenge contemporary governments and the dynamics of international relations. Despite evident change, however, it is incontrovertible that the legacies of the Cold War still affect political and international relations among states, regionally and globally. The Cold War and its legacies therefore deserve renewed scholarly attention and discussion, from the expansion of NATO to the crises in Russia’s near abroad, from the rise of the Global South to the transformation of East Europe. Indeed, new materials on, and approaches to, the Cold War continue to emerge. This Section seeks to provide a focus for new understandings of contemporary developments in the post-communist world by forging debates on the historical roots of the Cold War and on the impact of Cold War on policy, justice, security, economy, society and culture in different countries, regions and/or continents. The issue invites contributions which address, but are not limited to, the following questions: To what extent did the Global Cold War shape decision-making processes on internal and external affairs of states in the First, Second and Third Worlds? To what extent did the Cold War undermine or limit civil liberties, and in what ways did populations, civil societies and non-hegemonic actors respond? To what extent did connections exist across, between or despite the blocs, and to what extent did they increase or decrease conflict tendencies, domestically and internationally? To what extent are Cold War legacies, memories or continuities still present in the world of today? The Section will be structured in two Panels as follows: Parallel Cold War Rhythms: Politics, Economics, Regional Configurations It is often accepted that the Cold War alternated between periods of tension and crisis on the one hand and détente on the other. This has often centred purely on the political relations between the superpowers. But to what extent did local actors or global processes reflect superpower desires or relations? We welcome papers that analyse behaviours and trends in both superpowers, but also in other countries, regions or continents, especially East and West Europe, which challenge simple, binary depictions of the Cold War, defy textbook periodisations, and show how their findings help de-centre the Cold War, in terms of, but not limited to, political behaviour, economic links or policies, and regional configurations. Cold War Links, Civil Resilience, Local and Transnational Movements During Cold War era, external events served as a means to legitimate battles abroad while defending governments against criticism of crushing human rights at home. We welcome papers that analyse the effects of the Cold War on societies, West, East and South, as well as the role of criticism, activism and/or dissidence in shaping policies and/or international relations. Papers on other forms of transnational linkage, whether institutionalised or not, and their impact on the Cold War, will also be welcome. These can include, but are not limited to, student or labour movements, peace and social movements, trade unions, churches or religious institutions, NGOs, city twinning, and even international institutions. Panel Chair Dr Vladimir Unkovski-Korica is Lecturer in Legacies of Communism at the School of Political and Social Sciences of the University of Glasgow. Before assuming the position, he held posts at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and the National Research University, Higher School of Economics (HSE) in Moscow. He has published several articles and chapters, and completed his first monograph, on the complex interactions between ideology, geopolitics, federalism and global political economy which gave rise to Yugoslavia’s unique non-aligned developmental model in the early Cold War. He is now investigating the influence of international trends, especially the end of the Cold War, on the failure of this model and transformation in the post-Yugoslav space.