Cold War is far from being a completely known story and as we are advancing into our multi-polar, close to chaos world, available information - archives and independent researches in specific domains - are showing a world far from being fully bipolar. However, once one is entering into the many details - previously less discussed in the media and academic circles, it is easy to notice that the world during the Cold War was far from being easy, and based on a synchronicity between one world - the communist, Soviet managed block of countries - and the other - the liberal, democratic one.
In reality, there were an enormous number of actors interacting within or outside the given narrative, creating alliances, cooperating, fighting for supremacy, including within the two block themselves. At least for the communist block, the inimities between the Soviets and Yugoslavia, as well as the changing waves of influence - switching between East and West at least several times in some cases -in Latin America, are only few examples of such alternatives.
Organiser le Monde - Organising the world, in my own translation - by Sandrine Kott suggests an interesting analysis into the Cold War through the various interactions that took place between representatives of the two blocks and the ideological systems represented, within the framework of international organisations.
Within organisations such as the UN or UNESCO, the countries from both sides of the Iron Curtain were able to communicate with each other, get to know and eventually act together on various issues of bilateral common interest. Economic organisations, or the dialogue open up by the Helsinki Charter were as many opportunities for dialogue and exchange.
The research is systematic, adding the details following specific topics and a historical timeline. It is well documented both historically and by using various sources of information. However, I had the feeling that there were many important aspects left behind, that would have deserve more details, for instance the amount of ´soft power´ the US spent in the last two decades of the Cold War by the way of academic exchanges.
The diversity of aspects and topics outlined in the book offer valuable inspiration and suggestions for further studies in the field of both international relations and Cold War history. It also helps to understand our current world and to trace the global, regional and international alliances.
Rating: 4 stars
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