A World More Equal: An Internationalist Perspective on the Cold War

During the post-World War II era, international cooperation thrived despite the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union. The United Nations and regional organizations brought together actors from different worlds to address global inequities and promote transnational cooperation in issues such as human rights and women's rights. Sandrine Kott's book "A World More Equal" examines the rise of internationalism during this era and its potential for addressing social and global inequalities today.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 312 pages
Publication date: 06 February 2024
Publisher: Columbia University Press

The post-World War II period is often perceived as a time of profound division, marked by an epochal global conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union. However, beneath the surface, the postwar era witnessed a remarkable degree of international cooperation. The United Nations and its agencies, along with regional organizations, international non-governmental organizations, and private foundations, brought together actors from opposing worlds, fostering international collaboration across the geopolitical and ideological divisions of the Cold War.

In her book, "A World More Equal: The Global Fight for Fairness in the Post-Cold War Era," Sandrine Kott offers a fresh perspective on the Cold War that highlights the rise of internationalism as both an ideology and a practice. Kott delves into cooperation across boundaries in international spaces, emphasizing the role of midsized powers, including Eastern European and neutral countries. She sheds light on how the need to address global inequities became a central concern, as officials and experts argued that economic inequality posed a threat to the establishment of lasting peace. International organizations provided newly decolonized and "Third World" countries with a platform to challenge the global distribution of power and wealth, encouraging transnational cooperation in issues such as human rights and women's rights.

Assessing the failure to achieve a new international economic order in the 1970s, Kott provides a new perspective on the rise of neoliberalism. This book offers a truly global study of the Cold War through the lens of international organizations, demonstrating why the internationalism of this era offers valuable resources for addressing social and global inequalities today.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231210157