Lærdómur fortíðar: Friðarpólitík kalda stríðsins og stríð nútímans

Petra Goedde, prófessor við Temple háskóla og ritstjóri Diplomatic History tímaritsins, heldur Minningarfyrirlestur Jóns Sigurðssonar árið 2026 á vegum Sagnfræðistofnunar í Auðarsal í Veröld, fimmtudaginn 1. október kl. 16:00-17:30. Fyrirlesturinn nefnist „The Politics of Peace: Can Lessons from the Past Overcome the Forever Wars of Today“ og í honum er meðal annars spurt af hverju ekki rættist úr bjartsýni margra um friðsamlegri tíma við endalok kalda stríðsins. Sniðgengu ráðamenn mikilvæga lærdóma sem draga mátti af hættulegum augnablikum í kalda stríðinu? Getur friðarpólitík kalda stríðsins bent á leið út úr því umróti sem nú einkennir heimsmálin?

Um erindið

The optimism that gripped much of Europe and North America at the end of the Cold War seems but a faint memory today. How could we have squandered a golden opportunity for perpetual peace so badly in such a short span of time? Did policymakers ignore some lessons learned from the worst moments of the Cold War? This talk tries to answer that question by showing how a transnational politics of peace emerged in the 1960s involving both high-level diplomats and grassroots activists. The path toward a Politics of Peace was paved with Orwellian contradictions yet ultimately led to the emergence of a pragmatic politics that was embraced by political leaders of every stripe on both sides of the iron curtain. That pragmatism is missing in the decision-making processes of today’s most aggressive world leaders with devastating consequences for peace and security. Could the Cold War politics of peace offer a way out of the current turmoil?