The fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989 symbolized the end of an era, the Cold War. But the fall of communism in the countries of Eastern Europe would not have occurred if a few years before Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev had initiated the series of reforms within perestroika and glasnost, which introduced profound changes in the economy, society and politics in the USSR. As happened in the USSR, also in socialist countries the reforms went in two directions: economically they introduced a market economy and private property, while politically they worked to create parliamentary and democratic systems.

The "domino effect" of the fall of the Berlin Wall led to a series of profound transformations in all countries which until then were part of the "Iron Curtain". In the GDR, it all happened very fast, to the point that on 3 October 1990 the reunification of Germany became a reality. The last episode of the collapse of communism in Europe was the dissolution of the USSR in December 1991, a milestone that ended the long period of the Cold War. Now, is this a definitely ended story?

With the historical perspective of the past quarter of a century, we observe now some tensions between, on one hand, the European Union and the United States and, on the other hand, a new Russia aiming at recovering its past status of global superpower in a world that no longer is, nor is expected to be, bipolar again. In this context, the conference is intended as a forum for debate and analysis about the end of the Cold War and the fundamental changes that took place during the nineties.

Renowned experts in the field will propose some reflections on the risks and threats of a renewed rivalry between the US and Russia, as well as on security tensions currently threatening global stability, such as those related to energy resources or territorial disputes. These and other issues are part of the resulting new geo-strategic world balance following the end of the Cold War, also characterised by the emergence of some regional powers in Asia, Latin America and Africa.

Organizers:

Caterina García Segura and Josep Ibáñez, professors of International Relations at Pompeu Fabra University.

·        Students of International Relations in the degrees in Political Science, Law, and Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and PhD and postgraduate students in these fields

·        Professors and researchers in the field of international relations and international politics

·        General public

Language:

The conference is in English, with simultaneous translation into Catalan.

Important:

Free activity with required registration (link) 

With the collaboration of:

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With the suport of: