The Global 1989 Continuity and Change in World Politics

1989 signifies the collapse of Soviet communism and the end of the Cold War, a moment generally recognized as a triumph for liberal democracy and when capitalism became global. The Global 1989 challenges these ideas. An international group of prominent scholars investigate the mixed, paradoxical and even contradictory outcomes engendered by these events, unravelling the intricacies of this important moment in world history. Although the political, economic and cultural orders generated have, for the most part, been an improvement on what was in place before, this has not always been clear cut: 1989 has many meanings, many effects and multiple trajectories. This volume leads the way in defining how 1989 can be assessed both in terms of its world historical impact and in terms of its contribution to the shape of contemporary world politics.

Introduction: the 'what', 'when' and 'where' of the global 1989 George Lawson; Part I. What and When: 1. Back to the future of nineteenth-century Western international thought? John M. Hobson; 2. The return of primitive accumulation Saskia Sassen; 3. What is left after 1989? William Outhwaite; Part II. Where: 4. Transatlantic relations in the shadow of the Cold War Michael Cox; 5. Third World socialism: 1989 and after Fred Halliday; 6. Towards a global Europe? Laure Delcour; 7. Restoration and convergence: Russia and China since 1989 Aviezer Tucker; 8. One world, many cold wars: 1989 in the Middle East Richard Saull; Part III. Continuity and Change: 9. One bright moment in an age of war, genocide and terror? On the revolutions of 1989 Chris Armbruster; 10. A dangerous utopia: the military revolution from the Cold War to the war on terror Marc DeVore; 11. From Berlin to Baghdad: learning the 'wrong' lessons from the collapse of communism Barbara J. Falk; Conclusion: was there a global 1989? Arne Westad.

1989 signifies the collapse of Soviet communism and the end of the Cold War. This book unravels the intricacies of this important moment in world history and explores the complexities, contradictions and paradoxes of the post-1989 world.

George Lawson is Lecturer in International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Chris Armbruster is the founder and Executive Director of the Research Network 1989. He also tracks the evolution of digital scholarly communication for the Max Planck Society at the Max Planck Digital Library.
Michael Cox is Chair in International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science and Co-Director of 'Ideas', a centre for diplomacy and strategy at the LSE.