Civil Wars and the New World Order, 1979-1994

The "Paris IAS Ideas" online talk series features short and stimulating presentations from fellows of the Paris Institute for Advanced Study, marking the beginning of 1-month writing residencies.

Online and in English only.
Free registration but required.
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Presentation

What if the story of the end of the Cold War were told not from Washington, Moscow or Berlin, but from the margins — where the world seemed to be falling apart?

This project offers another perspective on globalisation, which originated not only in the capitals of power, but also in the civil war zones of El Salvador, Sri Lanka and Lebanon.

In these contexts of extreme violence and economic collapse, diplomats, journalists, humanitarian workers and international investors redefined their roles. By negotiating peace, rebuilding and bearing witness, they contributed—often unwittingly—to shaping the principles and practices of post-Cold War globalisation.

Today, as this cycle of globalisation seems to be coming to an end, this project looks back at its unexpected origins. It explores how the margins shaped the centres, how subnational violence transformed supranational history, and how new imaginaries of peace, security and interdependence emerged from the peripheries of the world.