The 1980s was a decade of upheaval unprecedented since the conclusion of
World War Two. In 1980 superpower détente had been abandoned and there
was no sign of an end to the competition and conflict between the United
States and the Soviet Union. By the end of the decade, however, the Cold
War was officially declared to have ended. The suddeness and rapidity of
change took most observers by surprise, and led many to reassess their
assumptions about global politics. This volume brings together a number
of scholars who review their own ideas alongside the writing of others
to discuss how well their International Relations theories have survived
the collapse of the Cold War. It asks a number of questions about how
the Cold War should be conceptualised: why theorists overlooked the
potential for change in Eastern Europe; why the Soviet Union shifted its
foreign policy; the contribution of radical and feminist theory; and the
future of International Relations theory itself.