Event Type: Branch

Takes Place: 17th February 2025

Time: 7.30pm

Venue: University of Gloucestershire, Park Campus, Cheltenham GL50 2RH and online via Zoom

Description: Dr Volker Prott from Aston University will revisit a crucial chapter of twentieth-century international history: the role of the UN in Cold War conflict management. His talk will examine to what extent the UN lived up to its original ambitions, how it dealt with failures and ‘dead ends’ in a Cold War setting dominated by great power interest – and how UN officials still sought to use ‘grey zones’ to exert political influence and ensure the growth of their organisation and its multiple agencies. The talk will use the early Kashmir conflict, the Congo Crisis of the 1960s, and the East Pakistan crisis of 1971 as case studies to trace the shifting strategies of UN conflict management. It will conclude with some historical reflection points, asking how the UN might become a legitimate and effective political force in the resolution of the multiplying conflicts and crises of the present. 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the U.N.

How to book: Zoom link will be published before the event

Price: Free for members and students, £4 for guests

Tel: 01242574889

Email: histassocglos@gmail.com

Organiser: Andrea Robertson

Lecturer: Dr Volker Prott, Aston University

Region: West Midlands

Branch: Gloucestershire