Professor Aino Rosa Kristina Spohr

Professor Kristina Spohr speaks about the significance of the Helsinki Final Act 1975

On the 50th anniversary of the first CSCE summit, Prof Kristina Spohr was interviewed on Germany’s Deutschlandfunk on the significance of the Helsinki Final Act (1975) for Europe & the world in past and present.

On August 1, 1975, thirty-five countries – including the United States and the Soviet Union – met to sign the Helsinki Final Act, enshrining respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and human rights as a basis for relations among states.

Listen to the interview in full HERE

Professor Spohr speakes at international conference

On 11 June 2025, Prof Kristina Spohr spoke at the International Conference on the 50th Anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act & 13th European Remembrance Symposium, on the first panel at Finlandia Hall in Helsinki, Finland.

Watch her opening remarks & subsequent comments from 1:52:55 onwards HERE

Professor Spohr delivers keynote lecture at the German Federal Academy for Security Policy (BAKS) in Berlin

On 2 June 2025, Prof Spohr delivered a key-note lecture on the present state and historical evolution of defence & deterrence and civic resilience on NATO’s (north-)eastern flank at the GermanFederal Academy for Security Policy (BAKS) in Berlin for its "Das Kernseminar (Core course on Security) 2025" for senior officials from the German federal and state ministries.

"Why do humans fight wars?"

On 13 May Professor Kristina Spohr was a key-discussant on a 2-hour German MDR radio-show on the history of WAR & WARFARE.

The programme – held on the 500th anniversary of the Peasants‘ Wars and 80 years sincethe end pf WW II – revolved around the question: "why do humans fight wars?"

"La Hora de Merz"

Professor Krisitna Spohr was extensively cited on 4 May 2025, in a feature entitled "La Hora de Merz" in the Chilean newspaper El Mercuro on the major imminent foreign policy and economic challenges facing Germany under new chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Professor Kristina Spohr speaks at LSE event, "Greenland, Iceland and the meltdown of the old order in the North Atlantic"

The event featured the former President of Iceland, Professor Guðni Jóhannesson, along with Professors Kristina Spohr and Jeffrey Chwieroth, and took place on Tuesday 6 May.

President Trump's determination to increase American influence and presence in Greenland has generated great interest in the future of the world’s largest island and its surrounding regions in the Arctic and the North Atlantic. Iceland is Greenland’s closest neighbour in Europe. In 1944, Iceland declared full independence from Denmark, at a time when Greenland was still a Danish colony. This event focused on the current position and future developments of these two countries in the Arctic and the North Atlantic at large.

Watch the event recording HERE

Professor Kristina Spohr speaks at 10th Delphi Economic Forum

On 9-10 April 2025, Prof Spohr spoke at the 10th Delphi Economic Forum on two panels. She discussed with fellow historians from Germany and Greece ‘The Weight of History in Today’s Fragmented World’, and discussed with former U.K. Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter and Ukrainian parliament’s Deputy Chairman Hryhoriy Nemyria ‘Victory’s Many Faces: Exploring the Potential Outcome for Ukraine’.

Read more HERE

Watch her speak HERE

Following these talks, Prof Spohr's contributions were quoted in Greek media on 11 April.

Professor Kristina Spohr speaks at inaugural CHIOS x Körber Roundtable

On 8 April 2025 Prof. Spohr spoke in Hamburg at the inaugural CHIOS x Körber Roundtable.

'Zeitenwende Challenges and Paths to Renewed Order: The Lessons of History and Strategies for the Future' offering an impulse statement on Baltic, Nordic, and Arctic perspectives.

Read more HERE

Prof Kristina Spohr has contributed the first "Opinion" in a five-part MSNBC Daily series on NATO’s future

She explains: "Russian hybrid warfare is already an established fact. And the Kremlin’s continuous and erroneous claims of NATO’s wrongful expansion is merely one key prong in this political conflict. Besides Ukraine’s destruction, Putin wants to see Euro-Atlantic community wrecked. ... Unfortunately, Putin has also found useful idiots in the West, willing to aid and abet his nefarious campaign."

Read her article HERE

Recordings of Professor Kristina Spohr talks at the Council of Europe's "Observatory for History Teaching in Europe" are now available online!

In December 2024, Professor Spohr delivered her keynote "History at all costs?" at the OHTE's Annual Conference.

You can now find the recording HERE

Professor Kristina Spohr speaks at the Centre for Geopolitics

On 19 Feb. 2025, Prof. Spohr discussed "The geopolitics of Greenland: Past, present, and future" with S. Olsvig (Intl Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council), Prof. R. C. Powell (Scott Polar Institute, Cambridge Univ.) and Dr R. Nielsen (Univ. of Greenland). She explained why Trump’s landgrab rhetoric regarding Greenland was not just a concern for Nuuk & Copenhagen/ NATO, but of global import.

Prof. Spohr’s comments were cited in the Danish Daily Kristligt Dagblad. She pointed out, having travelled to Inuit communities on the Bering Strait and Chukchi Sea, that by comparison Greenlanders were socio-economically much better off, benefitting from the Nordic welfare model.

On the dame occasion, Prof. Spohr was also interviewed and cited by Latvian journalist Ilza Kalve in Latvijas Avīze.

Watch the video HERE

Read her comments HERE

Read her interview Is Greenland for sale?

Professor Kristina Spohr speaks on German news station

Prof. Kristina Spohr analyses on Deutsche Welle/PBS prime-time news the state of Euro-Atlantic relations in the aftermath of Germany's federal elections that saw Friedrich Merz (CDU) win.

Watch the segment HERE

Professor Kristina Spohr's lastest El Pais column in out!

In her column entitled 'Chancellor-elect Friedrich Merz's historical responsibility' she explains why it is imperative for Berlin to lead Europe alongside London and Paris, as Europe is confronted with an unreliable, bullying US NATO ally.

Read the article HERE

Professor Kristina Spohr gives keynoteat the Council of Europe - Observatory on History Teaching in Europe (OHTE)

On 6 December, Professor Spohr delivered keynote address "History at all Costs?" at the Council of Europe -OHTE Annual Conference.

Kristina’s engaging and relevant talk dismantled the tactics of "memory makers" and their ways of using history to justify authoritarian or bellicose policies.

The recording of her talk is available HERE

"It is clear that we need Europe to step up [support to Ukraine] and we need the US to stay in the game"

Our very own Professor Kristina Spohr, currently a Fellow at The Wilson Centre in Washington DC, was in conversation with Finland’s Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering: Anders Adlercreutz. They discussed Finland’s foreign policy priorities and challenges entering 2024.

View the video recording of the discussion

Professor Kristina Spohr’s new article out on Wilson Center’s website

It looks at Russia’s recent efforts to alter maritime borders in the Baltic sea. She highlights the potential implications for neighbouring states, and how the Kremlin might use this to sow uncertainty in the Euro-Atlantic community.

Read the full article here.

The war in Ukraine, one year on roundtable

On the first anniversary of Russia invasion of Ukraine the Cold War History journal has published a timely roundtable on the War, including an essay by Professor Kristina Spohr. Revealing the myths and realities in Putin’s historical narratives.

Read the essay.

New essay by Professor Spohr in a recently published book

Professor Kristina Spohr has published an essay entitled "The Baltic States, Russia and Europe's order 1917-1991-2022". In Charles Clarke's important new edited volume "Understanding the Baltic States", Hurst Publishers 2023.
Read the essay.

LSESU Teaching Award Nominations

Kristina was nominated in two categories:

• Outstanding Teaching
• Excellent Feedback and Communication

New book, "Post Wall, Post Square"

Prof Kristina Spohr’s award-winning book "Post Wall, Post Square" is out with Ves Mir Publ. in Russian on the first anniversary of M. Gorbachev’s death.

Upon its Moscow-launch, she spoke on zoom with Publisher Oleg Zimarin on "Eurasia Today" (in Engl from 37sec): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IenApZsySjo&t=10s

Sanctions, Shipping, and Sabotage: China and Russia Enter the 'Gray Zone' in the Baltic Sea

In Polar Perspectives No. 14, Professor Kristina Spohr, analyses the recent subsea pipe and cable ruptures in the Baltic Sea and their impact on geopolitics. Read what she has to say about this unlawful deed and its repercussions for NATO.

Access the article.

Security and vulnerability of NATO's Northern flank

Professor Kristina Spohr spoke alongside leading experts at Cam Geopolitics' panel on #Security and vulnerability of #NATO's Northern flank.

Watch the recording now on YouTube.

Archive On Four on BBC Radio 4

Professor Kristina Spohr contributed to an episode of ArchiveOnFour on BBC Radio 4. Where Professor David Reynolds reflected on what Franklin D Roosevelt meant by the Four Freedoms and how far the USA has lived up to his ideals.

New Interview in the Financial Times

Professor Spohr was recently interviewed in the Financial Times, She discusses how Putin's invasion of Ukraine backfired, strengthening NATO and the EU, and what Ukraine means for institutional order.

BBC History Extra Podcast

Listen to a recent interview with Professor Spohr on the BBC History Extrapodcast. She talks to host Matt Elton about the historical parallels of the current conflict in Ukraine – and why we shouldn’t see it as a new Cold War.

What Will the World Look Like After the Turning Point in the Ukraine War?

What will the world look like economically and politically after the turning point in the Ukraine War? Professor Spohr was recently interviewed for Austrian newspaper Industriemagazin on what this conflict means for China, the future of supply chains, and how this sets the course for the rest of the 21st century.

NATO Expansion in Interview with Investment Monitor

Vladimir Putin cites NATO’s eastward expansion over the past 30 years as the justification for the Ukraine invasion. In a new interview with Investment Monitor, Professor Spohr argues that NATO really believed that the new Russia would not mind its growth – maybe even joining the party itself. Unfortunately, Putin very much did mind, an affront that undergirds, but by no means justifies, the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Interview in Danish Newspaper Kristeligt Dagblad

'Putin will not give up, as Stalin did in the Winter War', claims Professor Spohr in a new interviewwith Danish newspaper Kristeligt Dagblad. For Putin, a quick annexation of Ukraine would be a crowning moment for Russia in the 100th anniversary of the Soviet Union and the President's own 70th birthday.

Panel Discussion at the German Historical Institute

Professor Spohr recently participated as a speaker on a panel discussion organised by the German Historical Institute (GHI) in Washington DC on the challenges Putin’s war against Ukraine poses for the post-Cold War order and for European security.

Feature on the Women in International Security Podcast (WIIS)

Professor Spohr was recently featured on a podcastentitled, "Women and Leadership: History and Context in the War in Ukraine". With their expertise on Russia, Ukraine, and the Cold War and the global order, the panellists bring out both the complexities of Russian history and identity, and the endemic flaws in the state’s governance — all of which contributed to launching the war of aggression against Ukraine.

Panel Discussion hosted by Austrian Foreign Policy Institute (OIIP)

On 21 March, Professor Spohr participated in a panel discussionhosted by the Austrian Foreign Policy Institute (OIIP). The panel discussed the causes and drivers of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, and its aims and objectives. Prospects were assassed for an end to the war, the room for diplomacy and the consequences for Russia, European security and the international order.

'Russia wants to oust the United States from Europe': New in Swiss newspaper Blick

Professor Spohr asserts in her latest piecewith Swiss newspaper Blickthat Putin would prefer NATO to be disbanded. Yet, thirty years ago, Russia still wanted to integrate into Europe.

New in Spanish newspaper El Mundo

'If Russia attacks Europe, will will have to defend ourselves with weapons', says Professor Spohr in a new interviewwith Spanish newspaper El Mundo. She argues that Putin has made a big miscalculation with the invasion of Ukraine and that Europe, NATO, and the US are now more united than ever. Read the interview.

Professor Spohr interviewed on The Gist

With Russia's invasion of Ukraine entering its fourth week, Professor Spohr argues in a new inteviewthat Putin and his vision of a new slavic order under Russia are the problem. But, she says Russia’s neighbours have no intention of returning to the days of Moscow’s domination.

New Article in Diplomacy and Statecraft

In a new articleby Professor Spohr exploring the competitive co-operation within the Boris Yeltsin-Bill Clinton-Helmut Kohl triangle, she depicts the push-and-pull factors within and between East and West, and especially inside the Alliance, as these three leaders set out to secure a post-Wall Europe together that was far more complex and multi-layered than hitherto appreciated.

'Russia Wants to Oust the US from Europe': New from Blick

Although Putin has claimed that he wants to dissolve NATO, Professor Spohr talked to Swiss newspaper Blickabout how, in 1989, Boris Yelstin hoped to integrate Russia into the West, speaking of democracy, disarmament, and wanting a partnership with the US and NATO. Read here (in German).

'The Worst is Yet to Come': Professor Spohr in El Debate

In the Spanish-language newspaper El Debate, Professor Spohr was interviewed to offer her thoughts on the present state of the Ukraine War and argues that this is not the time to distribute blame amongst Western countries. Read here (in Spanish).

Tuesday Direct Show, Das Sachsenradio

Does Russia want to turn back the wheel of history? Professor Spohr joined a panel on the "Tuesday Direct" show to discuss the historical background that Russian President Putin cites as justification for war in Ukraine. Listen here (in German).

New Interview for ABC Cultural

Professor Spohr discusses her latest book Post Wall, Post Square (2019) (Spanish edition: Después del Muro: La reconstrucción del mundo tras 1989) with Spanish-language newspaper ABC Cultural, discussing the geopolitical moments that changed the West and East at the end of the Cold war and offering an analysis of the critical hour in which we live. Read (in Spanish).

Putin and the International Order

In the Brazilian newspaper Econômico Valor, Professor Spohr argues that Vladimir Putin's real target extends far beyond Ukraine and other Russian border countries - his aim is the international order itself. Read (in Portuguese).

Twitter Thread on NATO

A Twitter thread written by Professor Spohr, who denounces Putin's and Lavrov's abuse of history in justifying Russia's invasion of Ukraine and demolishes Russian and Der Spiegel's claims about NATO non-enlargement promises. Follow along.

The Invasion of Ukraine as Putin's War to Change Europe's Order

Writing for the LSE British Politics and Policy Blog, Professor Spohr argues that Russia’s war against Ukraine is not only a challenge to Europe’s territorial borders. It is a war that challenges the character and rules that have governed the international system since 1945. Read the article.

The Russo-Western 'Battle of the Narratives'

In her contribution to the German platform DEKODER, Professor Kristina Spohr offers an evaluation of the Russo-Western 'Battle of the Narratives' over NATO enlargement and European security. She shows how Putin - as he seeks to remake the European post-Wall order - has come to instrumentalise the 'myth of betrayal' and 'broken promises', most recently in the ongoing Ukraine crisis. Crucially, as she explains, there is no historical evidence to support Putin’s narrative of Western treason. Read the article (in German).

Professor Kristina Spohr on the Ukraine-Russia crisis

In her most recent op-ed in the Spanish daily El Pais, she writes on the crisis over Ukraine and Russian pressure to extract Western security guarantees in order to undo the post-Wall European security system. She also reveals how Putin's obsession with tales of Russian victimisation and Western betrayal are based on false narratives and has much to do with his own impotence to counter the appeal of the European social model. Read more in "On the Brink of War: From Rewriting History to Re-Establishing the Russian Empire" (in Spanish).

Exposing the Myth of Western Betrayal of Russia over NATO's Eastern Enlargement

Thirty years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia is still peddling the old myth of Western betrayal of Russia by expanding NATO eastward after the end of the Cold War. Both Vladimir Putin and his Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov have used this myth to demand formal Western security guarantees and that NATO rules out future membership for Ukraine and other ex-Soviet republics. Kristina Spohr explains why this narrative is based on not only a misinterpretation of the treaty that reunified Germany, but also a misunderstanding of the diplomatic process that led to it.

Exposing the myth of Western betrayal of Russia over NATO's eastern enlargement | British Politics and Policy at LSE

Russia's War Against Ukraine is not the only challenge to territorial borders. It is Putin's war to change Europe's order

Russia’s war against Ukraine is not only a challenge to Europe’s territorial borders, writes Kristina Spohr. It is a war that challenges the character and rules that have governed the international system since 1945.

Russia's war against Ukraine is not only a challenge to territorial borders. It is Putin's war to change Europe's order. | British Politics and Policy at LSE

Post Wall Post Square: 2021 Top 10 Non-Fiction Books in Spain

The newspaper El Confidencialplaced the Spanish edition of Professor Spohr's latest book - Después del muro. La reconstrucción del mundo tras 1989- on a list including titles by Anne Applebaum, Margaret Macmillan and Orlando Figes. Read more (in Spanish)

The Strange Death of the Soviet Union

On 15 November Professor Spohr participated in a panel discussion with Professor Vladislav Zubokand Emeritus Professor Archie Brown(Oxford) on the collapse of the Soviet Union. The event, hosted by LSE IDEAS, marked the publication of Professor Zubok's new book Collapse(Yale University Press). Watch the video recording

Quoted in El Pais

Commented on the possibility of a coalition between the SPD, the Greens and the liberals of the FDP after Sunday's German elections for the Bundestag. Read here(in Spanish).

Observer for the German federal elections

Professor Spohr was part of this year’s DAAD election observer trip for the German federal elections on 26 September. The observers trip started on 21 September and lasted until 27 September, and included 9 invited scholars, including Professor Spohr, and journalists from around the world. They experienced the final spurt of the election campaign up close, attended events, and discussed matters with politicians and academics. For a full report of DAAD's election observer trip, check out their diary (in German).

Bayern 2 Radio

To commemorate the 30^thanniversary of the August Putsch in Moscow, Professor Kristina Spohr was interviewed by Susanne Rohrer for Bayern 2’s RadioWelt programmeon 19 August. The Putsch was a failed attempt made by communist hard-liners of the Soviet Union to take control of the country from Mikhail Gorbachev in 1991.

Post Wall, Post Squarereleased in Uruguay

In a review published in the Uruguayan newspaper "La Mañana" (27 June), the Spanish editionof Professor Spohr's bookwas called an exciting freeze of the moment when everything changed, a meticulous work which sets about unraveling the delicate game of chess that this geopolitical whirlwind involved. Read the full review(in Spanish).

On a melting international order

The US, China and Russia are engaged in a struggle over the character of a melting international order. As the Arctic heats up, can its peace be preserved? Find out what Professor Spohr’s thoughts on this enduring question are in her article in the New Statesman(9 June).

Post Wall, Post Squarereleased in Chile

Read Professor Spohr's interview about the bookin the Chilean newspaper La Tercera(28 May), and the review of the same book in the digital newspaper Cine Y Literatura(26 May).

On Angela Merkel's power

"She has ruled with dedication, deep moral conviction, and integrity. And above all, in the era of Putin, Trump, Johnson and Orbán, she has personified power without vanity." Read Professor Spohr's op-ed in the Spanish newspaper El País(14 May), "Angela Merkel or power without vanity" (in Spanish).

Professor Spohr interviewed for Spanish newspaper ABC

She spoke to them about her book Post Wall, Post Square(HarperCollins, 2020), published in Spanish by Taurus, and the peaceful nature of the transformations of 1989. Using previously unknown sources, the interviewer claims she wrote with such a detail and journalistic pulse that it was like she had been a direct witness of the complex negotiations herself. Read the interview here (in Spanish, 3 May).

On the lessons of the end of the Cold War

Professor Spohr penned an op-ed for the Spanish-language newspaper "El País". The fall of the Berlin Wall and the crackdown on the Tiananmen protests marked an epochal change, but she argues that the new order that emerged now seems exhausted in face of the climate and pandemic crises we are facing. Access the article in El País(14 February). Read for free(in Spanish).

Después del Muro

On 21 January, Professor Spohr discussed her latest book Post Wall, Post Square(Yale University Press, 2020) with the Spanish newspaper El Mundo. Recently published in Spanish, the book offers a bold new interpretation of the revolutions of 1989, showing how a new world order was forged – without major conflict. Read the interview here(free for LSE users). Read the reviews from Spanish-language newspapers, El Pais(29 January), El Manaña(7 February), and Politica Exterior(12 February), which called it "a monumental and brilliant book using unpublished sources".

New edited book

Co-edited with Dr Daniel S. Hamilton(editor, Wilson Center) and Jason C. Moyer(associate editor, Wilson Center), The Arctic and World Order(Brookings Institution Press) explores the huge political, legal, social, economic, geostrategic and environmental challenges confronting the Arctic regime, and what this means for the future of world order.

Catch up with the book launch, which took place on 12 January in Washington DC at the Wilson Center.

Best books of 2020: Post Wall, Post Sqaure

Open Letters Review has considered Post Wall, Post Squareone of the best books of 2020. They remarked that Professor Kristina Spohr’s latest book with Yale University Press brings first-rate political and historical analysis to the events of 1989, when the settled orders of the world, East and West, seemed to shiver and crack along their foundations all at once and – as she stresses – without inciting international war or revolution. Read more

Book talks

Professor Spohr gave two talks on 9 November about her latest book, Post Wall, Post Squarewhich offers a new interpretation of the revolutions of 1989, showing how a new world order was forged without major conflict. She spoke with Robert Zoellick at European Parliamenton the 31^stanniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall; and again, with Hope Harrison, Christian Ostermann and Eric Arnesen at the Wilson Center and Washington History Seminar. Watch both events by clicking on the links.

Opinion piece in The European

In "Was ist von Deutschlands 'Nie wieder'-Politik in der Corona-Welt geblieben?" (21 October), she argues that the previous European policy towards China was anything but European. In order to give a European answer, European governments must assume joint responsibility and define common positions and goals.

"Two Countries Divided"

To celebrate the 30^thanniversary of German reunification, Professor Spohr took part in a King’s College London event: "Two Countries Divided: The Legacy of German and Korean Reunification" on 8 October at 6:00pm. Experts discussed the impact of reunification on Germany and what lessons it may hold for attempts in future to reunify Korea.

Media appearances in September and October

On 3 October she was on German radio station Deutschlandandfunkand on the German wire service Katholische Nachrichten Agentur(in German) and MariaBode(in Dutch) to talk about her book Wendezeit, the German edition of Post Wall, Post Square, and the 30^thanniversary of German reunification. The day before she appeared on German television channel 3SAT, in the Kulturzeit programme, to discuss Wendezeit, COVID-19, and changes in the world order. Earlier in September she gave an interview about her book to 12:22 on RBB Radio Berlin Brandenburg (12 September). Listen here. On 8 September, Professor Spohr took part as a discussant on a three-hour radio show, "Dienstags Direkt" of MDR-Sachsen in Dresden, focusing on the state of Europe’s and Germany’s cultural, economic and political ties with China. Catch up with the discussion here(in German).

Atlantic Talks

On 24 September, Professor Spohr participated in a lecture and discussion at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg to open a new event series called the "Atlantic Talks" hosted by the Joachim Herz Foundation. The purpose of the new series is to stay in conversation with the United States to discuss different viewpoints and help to understand the positions of the US and Germany in their mutual cooperation. Read it here (in German).

German edition of Post Wall, Post Squarewins best book prize

Dr Kristina Spohr’s Wendezeit (2019) won the prize for best book in political science 2020 in Germany in July 2020. The prize is awarded every two years by the German Political Science Association and the Foundation for Science and Democracy. They said that Dr Spohr's book combines and advances the fields of contemporary history and political science in several areas, and offers explanations on the major global historical turning point of 1989 in an accessible fashion to the wider public. Read more

The announcement of Dr Spohr’ book prize was soon released in the Politics section of Germany’s Rheinische Post on 8 July. Reviewer Martin Kessler praised the book’s gripping description of the rapid restructuring of the political world order after the end of the east-west division, noting Spohr’s close observation of the human side of these relationships. Read the full review.

Cambridge Centre for Geopolitics webinar

Dr Kristina Spohr participated in the "Baltic States 1939-40" webinar at the Cambridge Centre for Geopolitics on 24 June.Marking the eightieth anniversary of the occupation of the Baltic States by the Soviet Union in June 1940, the panelists discussed the UK’s decision to acquiesce to Stalin’s coup, what the occupation means today, and where the UK sits within the Baltic, past and present. Other panel participants included Charles Clarke, Former Home Secretary (chair), Kaja Tael, Former Estonian Ambassador to the European Union, now Estonian Ambassador at Large for Climate and Energy Policy, and Patrick Salmon, Chief historian at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Read more and watch the recording of the event.

"The American Interest" podcast

Dr Spohr discussed Post Wall, Post Square with Richard Aldous on 3 April. The book arguest that the world’s exit from the Cold War is a two-fold story: one set in Berlin, where the fall of the Berlin Wall put an end to communism and inspired electoral revolutions across Europe, and one in Beijing, where Deng Xiaoping’s crackdown at Tiananmen Square put a brutal end to a burgeoning protest movement. Listen to the podcastand learn why we cannot understand one event without the other and why we cannot understand the world that emerged without careful attention to the diplomatic decisions made in the dizzying aftermath of both events.

New Statesman: "China’s new Silk Road"

Now that coronavirus infections appear to have dropped in China and its economy shows signs of recovering, Xi Jinping is turning a propaganda disaster into a political opportunity by offering humanitarian aid to Italy and other European states. His vigorous pandemic diplomacy seeks to reframe his country’s role in the corona affair at a time of Euro-Atlantic disunion. But it should also be understood in the larger context of Chinese foreign policy, as nothing less than the new "Health Silk Road". Read the full article (1 April) here.

New editions of Post Wall Post Squarebeing released

The book was released on 24 March in the US by Yale University Press and a Spanish edition will be published with Editorial Taurus on 14 May. Post Wall Post Square(HarperCollins, 2019) offers a bold new interpretation of the revolutions of 1989, showing how a new world order was forged – without major conflict. Check out the new editions: Yale University Press and Editorial Taurus.

Yale University Press Blog

Dr Spohr has contributed a new post to the Yale University Press Blog (16 March). Although the American international order seems to be waning, it is equally apparent that China, for all its ambitions, has no intention of assuming heavy international burdens and responsibilities. The result might therefore be a highly problematic power vacuum, which would make it much harder to manage future crises. Read more

Full Professorship

Following the most recent round of the School's review and promotion process, Dr Spohr passed major review and was promoted to full Professor. Her position will become effective on 1 August.

Spohr's media appearances and quotes

Dr Kristina Spohr was out promoting one of her latest book, Wendezeit. Die Neuordnung der Welt nach 1989on the radio. On 3 November she was on a one-hour radio show on Saarländischer Rundfunk called "Questions to the Author" and on 5 November she had a ten-minute slot on Das Sachsenradio’s programme "30 Years after the Fall of the Wall – History in Stories". In an LA Times article, on the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall (6 November), Dr Spohr was quoted saying that the euphoria after the Berlin Wall fell led to an unprecedented East-West cooperation and the belief that global democratization was inevitable. However, that did not materialise. Today, she claimeds, there’s no spirit of cooperation. Read more. Two days later (8 November) she was also quoted in the Washington Post about US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s nostalgic tour of sites where he served with NATO forces in Germany to mark the 30^thanniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Read more. On the same day, she was featured on DW News where she spoke about how the fall of the Berlin Wall and the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown informs our world today.

Wenderzeittop 10 best non-fiction books

Die Neuordnung der Welt nach 1989,was voted one of November's Top 10 Best Non-fiction books in Germany by a jury of 30 literary critics and journalists from ZDF, Deutschlandfunk Culture and DIE ZEIT. Read more (in German).

New edited volume

Exiting the Cold War, Entering a New Worldis Dr Spohr's fourth 2019 book release. Co-edited with Dr Daniel S. Hamilton (Johns Hopkins University SAIS), the book explores how and why the dangerous yet seemingly durable world order forged during the Cold War collapsed in 1989, and how a new order was improvised out of its ruins. The book includes an unusual blend of memoirs by senior officials who were directly involved in the decisions of that time, and contributions by scholars who have been able to draw on newly declassified archival sources to revisit this challenging period. Read more about the book and download it for free here. Catch up with the official book launch on 22 October on YouTube. Other events related to the new publication took place on 29 October in Berlin at "Expert Conference - 30 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall" and on 30 October in London, "Europe after the Cold War: whole and free?". Dr Kristina Spohr is Associate Professor in the Department of International History at LSE and the 2019/20 Helmut Schmidt Distinguished Chair at Johns Hopkins SAIS.

Media coverage of latest book

Dr Spohr presented the German edition of her new book Wendezeit at the 2019 Frankfurt Book Fair where she also debated the consequences of the fall of the Berlin wall on the ZDF TV show "The Blue Sofa". Watch her interview here. She was also featured in the October issue of the History magazine of the largest Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Read her interview here. In the meantime, the English version of her new book, Post Wall Post Square, was reviewed by the Financial Timeson 17 October. Tony Baber in "The broken dreams of 1989" says "Kristina Spohr beautifully reconstructs the events of the 1989-92 era, reminding us of the importance of intelligent, responsible political leadership at critical moments of history." Read the full review here.

New book

Post Wall, Post Square: Rebuilding the World after 1989 (HarperCollins) was released in October. The book provides an historical analysis of the crucial hinge years of 1989-1992, when the Berlin Wall fell and protest turned to massacre in Tiananmen Square, as well as the implications of these events for our times. Read more.

CNN article

Dr Kristina Spohr was quoted in a CNN article entitled "This chant brought down the Berlin Wall. Now the far right has stolen it" (31 August). She argues that AfD (Alternativ für Deutschland) posters and billboards declaring "We are the people!" is an abuse of history. What the AfD wants – a nationalist, inward-looking Germany – has nothing to do with what the people wanted in 1989. Read more of Dr Spohr’s comments here.

New co-edited book

At the beginning of May, Dr Spohr released a new co-edited book with Dr Daniel S. Hamilton (John Hopkins University SAIS). On the 20th anniversary of NATO enlargement, Open Door: NATO and Euro-Atlantic Security After the Cold War takes us back to the decade when the momentous decision to open itself to new members and new missions was made. The book, with a foreword by former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, features chapters by former senior officials from the United States, Russia, Western and Eastern Europe who were directly involved in the decisions of that time. They are joined by scholars who have been able to draw on newly declassified archival sources to revisit NATO’s evolving role in the 1990s. Order a hardprint copy via Brookings Institution Press. Watch the book launch at SAIS on 7 May.

The Zeitgeist podcast

On 1 May, Dr Spohr spoke with Jeff Rathke, President of the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies at the Johns Hopkins University, on the "hinge" years of the Cold War in Europe from the late 80s to the early 90s and how decisions made then have ramifications today. Listen to "Legacy of the ‘Hinge’ Years: 1990 to Today" here.

Dr Spohr's latest events

Dr Kristina Spohr, currently the Inaugural Helmut Schmidt Distinguished Chair at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), has recently participated in two events of note. The first was a symposium commemorating Helmut Schmidt from 25-27 March called "Entangling the Pacific and Atlantic Worlds: Past and Present", organised by the German Historical Institute Washington and ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin, und Gerd Bucerius, in cooperation with the Institute of European Studies & Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley. On the second day, she discussed "Helmut Schmidt: The Global Statesmean" with Christoph von Marschall and with Schmidt’s companions Ronny Chan (Hang Lung Properties Hong Kong), Theo Sommer (former Editor-in-Chief of Die Zeit), and Manfred Lahnstein (former Minister of Finance of the Federal Republic of Germany).Read more about this symposium.

Photo credit: German Historical Institute Washington

The second event of note was a panel discussion on International Institutions, as part of a conference entitled "The Future of Statecraft" on 2 April, hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Henry A Kissinger Center for Global Affairs at Johns Hopkins SAIS. The conference was part of the Future Strategy Forum, an initiative to connect scholars who research national security with its leading practitioners. More details on this conference and a recording of the proceedings can be found here.

Photo credit: Kissinger Center

Dr Spohr's upcoming book Post Wall, Post Square: Rebuilding the world after 1989will be released later this year.

"We were at a moment of cooperative spirit"

Dr Kristina Spohr participated in a panel discussion hosted by Henry A. Kissinger Center and the Foreign Policy Institute on 6 December. Other participants in the event, "Mikhail Gorbachev’s 1988 Address to the UN: 30 Years Later", included Andrey Kozyrev, former Foreign Minister of Russia, Pavel Palazhchenko, former Principal English Interpreter for Mikhail Gorbachev, and Thomas W. Simons Jr., former U.S. Ambassador to Poland and Pakistan and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State responsible for relations with the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, and Yugoslavia. Watch the event here.

Dr Kristina Spohr welcomed as Inaugural Helmut Schmidt Professor at John Hopkins University

Dr Kristina Spohr was welcomed as inaugural Helmut Schmidt Professor at Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs in an event organised by the Foreign Policy Institute at John Hopkins SAIS. In a press releasefrom 3 October opening the new joint program of the Helmut Schmidt Professorship in Washington DC, the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) declared the new professorship commemorates the long and deep friendship between Dr Kissinger and Chancellor Schmidt and, together with five new post-doctoral fellowships, is part of a multi-year program to enhance research on transatlantic relations at Johns Hopkins SAIS funded by the DAAD with generous support by the German Federal Foreign Office. The event, called "The United States, Europe, and World Order" took place on 3 October at Johns Hopkins University SAIS. It was held to celebrate a brand new, multi-year program featuring the new Helmut Schmidt Distinguished Professorship, this year held by Dr Kristina Spohr, and a new Post-Doctoral program in the field of international relations and history. The inaugural event began with an introduction to the program by the President of DAAD and an address on current issues by Germany’s Deputy Foreign Minister. This was followed by a discussion on the current state of world order and contemporary issues facing the United States and Europe, involving among others, Dr Kristina Spohr. Watch the full event on YouTube.

New Statesmanopinion article

On the eve of the Trump and Putin Helsinki meeting, Dr Kristina Spohr and Professor David Reynolds (Cambridge) co-wrote an article for the New Statesmenentitled "The Age of Trumputin" (13 July). They review the history of Cold War summitry, and explore Trump’s newfound stride, his unpredictable policies and rumours that he is in the Kremlin’s pocket. Dr Spohr and Professor Reynolds are co-editors of Transcending the Cold War: Summits, Statecraft, and the Dissolution of Bipolarity in Europe, 1970-1990(Oxford University Press, 2016).

History Extra:Trump-Kim Summit

Dr Spohr was interviewd by History Extra, the official website for BBC History Magazine and BBC World Histories Magazine, on "The Trump-Kim Summit: What Did It Really Achieve?" (18 June). Dr Spohr shared her views on the historically significance of the Trump-Kim summit, the personal chemistry between the two leaders and the nature of the future relationship between the two countries, US and North Korea.

Dr Kristina Spohr Inagural Helmut Schmidt Professor at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies

Dr Spohr will be joining the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies(SAIS) in Washington DC for the 2018-19 academic year as the inaugural Helmut Schmidt Distinguished Professor in the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs. This new professorship commemorates the long and deep friendship between Dr Kissinger and Chancellor Schmidt and is part of a multi-year initiative to enhance research on transatlantic relations at SAIS funded by the German Academic Exchange Service with generous support by the German Federal Foreign Office. "The German Federal Foreign Office is thrilled to support the establishment of the Helmut Schmidt Distinguished Professor in the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs," said the Minister of State for international cultural policy at the German Federal Foreign Office, Michelle Müntefering. "The professorship adds an important German-U.S. transatlantic scientific perspective on how to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges. (…) the Helmut-Schmidt professorship is part of a larger effort by the German Federal Foreign Office, together with its partners, to stay actively engaged in a broad transatlantic dialogue." Giovanni Agnelli, Distinguished Professor and Director of the Kissinger Center Francis J. Gavin said, "We are delighted to welcome Professor Kristina Spohr as the inaugural Helmut Schmidt Professor. She is an acclaimed scholar of transatlantic relations and historically informed strategy and statecraft." Read the full press releaseby Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and German Academic Exchange Service. Read a piece by the German regional daily newspaper Rheinische Poston Dr Spohr's new position (21 June, in German).

Dr Kristina Spohr on the strategic importance of the Baltic

Dr Spohr participated in the Baltic Symposium 2018, organised by the UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies, the Baltic Council in Great Britain, and the Embassies of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania on 20 April. She presented a paper on "Baltic Strategies: The Big Picture" and analysed how the two periods of independence in the Baltic region (1917-18 and 1990-91) have affected the future of this strategically important region at a time when Putin has characterized the Bolsheviks' nationalities policy of self- determination as a disaster. Watch her participation on YouTube.

Cover analysis on the scramble for the arctic in the New Statesman

"The new Cold War: The race to conquer the arctic, the world’s final frontier" is Dr Kristina Spohr’s newest analysis, published on 9 March as a cover article in the New Statesman(9-15 March). Dr Spohr, a historian of the global ending of the Cold War and author of The Global Chancellor(OUP, 2016) and Transcending the Cold War(OUP, 2016), argues that in the least regulated place on earth - the polar region - all the Arctic states are now jockeying for position while several non-Arctic states, are seeking influence, with the big money and real strategic vision coming from Beijing. Over the past decade, Putin has restored political and economic stability at home, while testing the West in its quest to transform Russia into a world power. "The Arctic is a keystone of that policy", asserts Dr Spohr, "because only here – as Putin said last December – is there real scope for territorial expansion and resource acquisition." "At the end of the 19th century the great powers engaged in a scramble for Africa", Dr Spohr continues. "Now, in the 21st century, a scramble for the Arctic is unfolding. Across one of the bleakest landscapes of the world, the race is on for gas, oil and fish and to control the emerging shipping lanes of the High North. (…) It’s time for the West to pay attention".

Events on Putin and German elections

Dr Kristina Spohr was at Cambridge Festival of Ideas on Wednesday, 25 October, to discuss Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy. Alongside Professor David Reynolds (Cambridge University), co-editor of Transcending the Cold War, they brought alive Putin’s worldview, blending historical analysis with entertaining vignettes from some of his most vivid summits. The event, called "We need to talk abut Putin!", took place in St John's College Old Divinity School. On 1 November, Dr Spohr was at Chatham House in London, to participate in an event entitled, "After the Election: A New Political Landscape in Germany?". The event also featured Anne McElvoy, Senior Editor of the The Economist, and Martin Stabe, Data Journalist of the Financial Times. The election in Germany on 24 September resulted in Angela Merkel securing a fourth term as chancellor but also saw her CDU party's worst electoral performance since 1949 and, for the first time in over half a century, six different parties occupying seats in the Bundestag. The result leaves difficult negotiations ahead for Merkel as she attempts to secure a workable coalition. This event analysed the potential consequences of these negotiations, which are occurring against a more complicated political backdrop - a significant increase in popularity of the anti-immigration AfD.

Documentary film screening ‘Those Who Dare’ and panel discussion

On 17 October, Dr Sophr chaired a panel discussion on the Baltic nations’ path to independence from the USSR after the premiere screening of documentary film ‘Those Who Dare’. The film recounts how the former Icelandic foreign minister Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson’s involvement in challenging the legacy of WWII helped to make Baltic independence a reality after the international community had ignored claims for independence made by Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania from 1989 to 1991. The discussion featured Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson, screenwriter Kolfinna Baldvinsdóttir, as well as Tunne Kelam, Member of the European Parliament and one of the leading figures in Estonia’s quest to restore independence. The event, attended by the ambassadors of Estonia and Iceland, Tiina Intelmann and Thórdur Aegir Óskarsson, took place in the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London.

Monocle 24 radio station interviews

Dr Kristina Spohr was on Monocle Radio on 6 June and 5 July. On 6 June she reflected on how the late German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt got on with his US counterparts Ford, Carter and Reagan. Listen to the interview on Monocle 24’s websitefrom 21:20 minutes. On 5 July, she explained to The Globalist's Rhys James how Germany's grand coalitions work. Listen in Monocle 24's webiste.

BBC World live commentary

Listen to Dr Spohr commenting live for BBC World on 1 July, on occasion of German Chancellor Helmut Kohl's European state funeral in the European Parliament in Strasbourg (France) and in the Speyer Cathedral (Germany) - part 1 and part 2.

Article on Angela Merkel for the New Statesman

Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel remains an enigma. Her mentor Helmut Kohl called her his assassin. She is ruthless with those who betray her. She is also now being described as the leader of the free world. Where did she come from? What motivates her? What does she want? And where is she going? Dr Kristina Spohr answers those questions in an article for the New Statesman,"The Learning Machine" (6 July).

More scholarly praise for The Global Chancellor(OUP 2016)

After T. G. Otte, Professor of Diplomatic, International and Military History at University of East Anglia, praised Dr Kristina Spohr’s The Global Chancellorin Diplomacy & Statecraft4/2016as ‘international history at its best’, her book has received more positive scholarly reviews in 2017:

"In this book Kristina Spohr offers a major and long overdue reassessment of German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt. […] a major contribution by a first-rate scholar and should be widely read. It is testament to the importance and value of detailed archival research." Prof. Kenneth Dyson, Cardiff University, International Affairs1/2017.

"In her fine new study, Kristina Spohr makes the case for re-evaluating Schmidt’s role in international politics. […] Spohr has written an excellent brief account of Schmidt’s role in Western councils during the 1970s and early 1980s. In doing so, she has gone a long way towards rehabilitating his role as a statesman as well." Prof. Thomas W. Maulucci, Jr., American International College, German HistorySpring 2017.

Russia's restart of the nuclear arms race

Dr Kristina Spohr has contributed an article to The Conversationon Putin’s aggressive nuclear strategy. The article, published on 21 February, argues that the deployment of new ground-launched cruise missiles known as SSC-8s is the latest manifestation of Vladimir Putin’s reassertion of Russian power in his quest to make Russia "great again". In order to reestablish peace and security in Europe, Dr Spohr suggests it falls on US President Donald Trump to reunite the Western alliance and conduct a genuine dialogue with Russia. Read the full article.

Danish and German media

On 11 February, Dr Kristina Spohr shared her views on Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump in an interview for the Danish newspaper Kristeligt Dagbald. Read the full interview(with subscription, in Danish).

Dr Spohr was also interviewed by the German regional magazine Friedrichfor their January 2017 issue (pp. 10-11). Dr Spohr talked about one of her latest books, Helmut Schmidt: The Weltkanzler, and the late Chancellor's role in the creation of "summit diplomacy". Read the full interview here(in German).

TV.Berlin

On 21 January, Dr Kristina Spohr was on TV.Berlin to talk about one of her latest books, Der Weltkanzler, with host Peter Brinkmann. She appeared on his weekly show 'Standort Berlin’. Der Weltkanzler, published by Theiss in 2016, is the extended German edition of Dr Spohr’s The Global Chancellor: Helmut Schmidt and the Reshaping of the International Order(OUP, 2016). The book retrieves Schmidt's true significance as a pivotal figure who helped reshape the global order during the crisis-ridden 1970s. Watch Part Iand Part II(in German).

The Global Chancellorreceives positive reviews in the USDr Kristina Spohr’s The Global Chancellor, published by Oxford University Press last year, has received positive reviews in the United States. Foreign Affairs, the leading magazine for analysis and debate of foreign policy, economics and global affairs, claims in this month’s issue that "[Dr Spohr] has done readers a service by crafting a well-documented English-language treatment of this leading twentieth-century statesman" (January/February 2017, vol. 96, no. 1). Read more(free access). Choicemagazine, the publishing branch of the American Library Association, highly recommends Dr Spohr’s book in this month’s issue. "Spohr deftly designs a political history that goes beyond the ordinary political biography", argues Dr R. A. Harper, "engaging the reader to reevaluate the complex (and now often forgotten) times when Schmidt served and his ability to manage many unknowns" (January 2017, vol. 54, no. 5). Read more(free for LSE users). Last year, the Wall Street Journalalso reviewed Dr Spohr’s book, claiming that "[t]he strength of the book is the way it illuminates Schmidt's thinking on both economic and strategic questions and the relationship between them" (29 July 2016). Read more(paid subscription)."Putin's Revenge": Dr Kristina Spohr co-writes cover essay for New Statesman

Dr Kristina Spohr and Professor David Reynolds (University of Cambridge), co-editors of Transcending the Cold War(2016), contributed an essay to the latest edition of New Statesman(13-19 January 2017). Featured on the cover of the weekly magazine, their essay, "Putin’s revenge: why the Russian leader is obsessed with America", traces the end of the Soviet Union, Yeltsin’s failed attempt to create a new Russia and the rise of Vladimir Putin’s strong state amid a new world disorder. "Today’s Russian-American stand-off revolves around differing approaches to international relations", they argue. "Although we may not be back in the era of bipolarity some of the new ways are also old ways. Under Putin, Russia seems to have resumed its historic quest for position against the West and its insatiable desire for recognition as America’s equal."Read the full article(free access).

Transcending the Cold Warreviewed in the German press

One of Dr Kristina Spohr’s newest books, Transcending the Cold War(co-edited with Professor David Reynolds), was reviewed by Professor Bernd Greiner in the German national newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitungon 18 December 2016. Greiner says that, with Transcending the Cold War, published by Oxford University Press in 2016, Kristina Spohr and David Reynolds have not simply published an intelligent and "cleverly composed" history book on statecraft and Cold War summitry between 1970 and 1990. "Even more", he continues, "it is a commentary on the political blind flight of our days. Or a contemporary appeal." Read Greiner’s full review here(in German). See also another post by Greiner about Transcending the Cold Warwritten for the Berlin Center for Cold War Studies blog(in German).

"International History at its best" - Diplomacy & Statecraft4 (2016) on The Global Chancellor

T. G. Otte, Professor of Diplomatic, International and Military History at University of East Anglia, reviewed Dr Kristina Spohr’s The Global Chancellor(OUP 2016) for the latest issue of Diplomacy & Statecraft(vol. 27, issue 4, 2016). This is the first major study in English of Schmidt's foreign policy and its intellectual roots. It shows Schmidt as a 'global chancellor', engaging with major world leaders. Otte praised Spohr for her "thoughtful and cogently argued reassessment of Schmidt", which "raises profound questions about the role of individuals in international politics in general as well as about Schmidt’s posthumous standing." The Global Chancellor, so Otte says is "a little gem; it is international history at its best. It leaves one asking for more." Read the full review here(paid subscription). LSE users may read the full review for free.

Der Weltkanzlerin the German press

Dr Kristina Spohr's latest book continues to receive the attention of the German press. Helmut Schmidt: Der Weltkanzler– the extended German edition of the The Global Chancellorpublished earlier this year by OUP - centres around Helmut Schmidt’s foreign policy and its intellectual roots. On 4 November 2016, the German newspaper Darmstädter Echocovered an evening lecture in Darmstadt, where Dr Spohr introduced her book to a large audience. (Read about the event in "Strong Voice in the Concert of the Great Powers"- in German). On 10 November, she was interviewed by the main publication of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, the monthly paper Vorwärts. In her interview, which showcases Der Weltkanzler, Dr Spohr claims that chancellor Schmidt's central role in world politics has so far tended to be ignored in Germany. (Read the interview in German: "Helmut Schmidt Was More than just a Doer"). A point reiterated in Dr Spohr's interview for the German weekly news magazine, Focus, on 19 November, where she argues that contrary to what the German people might think, he was more than just a "doer" and a "crisis manager". He was a "strategic thinker" and a major international player in 1970s and 1980s who, against the odds, brought the divided semi-sovereign West Germany back to the top table in world politics. A true "global chancellor" or "Weltkanzler" - read the interview(in German).

Dr Kristina Spohr discusses Transcending the Cold Warat Berlin Centre

Dr Kristina Spohr was at the Berlin Centre for Cold War Studiesin Germany, on 16 November 2016 to talk about her new edited book, Transcending the Cold War: Summits, Statecraft and the Dissolution of Bipolarity in Europe, 1970-1990, with Professor David Reynolds (University of Cambridge). The event was co-organised with the Bundeskanzler-Willy-Brandt-Stiftung and centred around a discussion of the evolvement and impact of summits since the 1970s, as well as lessons learned since then. German historian Professor Bernd Greiner gave a short introduction into the book and moderated the discussion. Read more about the event and listen to the podcast(in English).

Keynote address speaker at 2016 Helmut Schmidt Journalism Prize

On 10 November, Dr Kristina Spohr gave the keynote address - "Der Weltkanzler – Looking Back" - at the 21st Helmut Schmidt Journalism Prize(sponsored by ING DiBA) award ceremony in Frankfurt. The Helmut Schmidt Journalism Prize has been awarded since 1996 and is an annual commemoration of the best investigative journalism carried out in Germany. This year, the first prizewent to Bastian Obermayer, Frederic Obermaier and Vanessa Wormer for their "Panama Papers" series published in the Süddeutschen Zeitung.

©newsroom.de

Interviewed for ZDF documentary about Helmut Schmidt

Dr Kristina Spohr appeared in the documentary Die zwei Leben des Helmut Schmidt(The Two Lives of Helmut Schmidt), first aired by German TV station ZDFon 6 November 2016. Dr Spohr was one of the interviewees in the ZDF History series and acted as scientific advisor to the programme, produced by film-maker Sonja von Behrens. The documentary explores Helmut Schmidt’s duality.

Watch the documentary on ZDF's website(in German).

Top 3 most popular LSE author in The Conversationin October

Dr Kristina Spohr topped the list of most read LSE authors in The Conversationduring the month of October. Her contribution to the online publication, "Thirty years on as ‘New Cold War’ Looms, US and Russia Should Remember the Reykjavik Summit", was the most read article in The Conversationwebsite during the month of October with 6,953 reads, even though it was published online on 19 October. The Conversation is an independent source of news and views, sourced from the academic and research community and delivered direct to the public.

The Global Chancellornominated Book of the Year2016

In the November/December 2016 issue of the leading German foreign politics journal, IP (Internationale Politik) – Zeitschrift, under the section, "Book of the Year 2016", two leading figures from German/International politics and media (Niels Annen – foreign policy spokesman of the Social Democrats’ parliamentary party, and Wolfgang Ischinger, Chairman of the Munich Security Conference) have chosen Dr Kristina Spohr’s book, The Global Chancellor: Helmut Schmidt and the Reshaping of the International Order(OUP, 2016), as their book of the year. Annen declares, "seldomly has a historical study been so current as Kristina Spohr’s book on Helmut Schmidt." Ischinger considers The Global Chancellor a "must read". Read their full views.

Dr Kristina Spohr and Professor David Reynolds interviewed by Cambridge TV on 30th Anniversary of the Reykjavik Summit

In an interview for Cambridge TV, broadcast on 24 October 2016, Dr Kristina Spohr and Professor David Reynolds (University of Cambridge) challenged the conventional interpretation of the Reykjavik Summit as an historic missed opportunity and argued that Reykjavik helped bring about real commitment to nuclear disarmament. They claimed it was one of several meetings between world leaders that helped bring the Cold War to a peaceful end. Their view is the focus of their new edited book, Transcending the Cold War: Summits, Statecraft, and the Dissolution of Bipolarity in Europe, 1970-1990, released by Oxford University Press in September 2016.

Watch the full interview

On the "New Cold War" and the importance of remembering the Reykjavik Summit thirty years on

Dr Kristina Spohr, our expert on Cold War summitry and the end of the Cold War, contributed an article to The Conversationwith Professor David Reynolds (University of Cambridge), called "Thirty years on as ‘new Cold War’ looms, US and Russia should remember the Rekyjavik summit". In their article, Dr Spohr and Professor Reynold suggest a diplomatic solution to the current US-Russian standoff, based on the lessons learned from the era of détente and the end of the Cold War in the 1970s and 1980s. In particular, the role of international statecraft and personal dialogue between leaders. Here, the Reykjavik summit between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev is mentioned, as well as Helmut Schmidt’s "Dialogpolitik".

Helmut Schmidt: Der Weltkanzlergiven 5-Star review by KULTURradio/rbb

On 11 October 2016, Dr Kristina Spohr’s latest book, Helmut Schmidt: Der Weltkanzler(Theiss, 2016) was introduced and reviewed by Eckard Stuff for the German radio station, KULTURradio/rbb. In her book, which is an extended German edition of The Global Chancellorpublished earlier in the year by Oxford University Press, Dr Spohr looks at at Schmidt's foreign policy and examines his role in reshaping the global order during the crisis-ridden 1970s. Mr Stuff gives it a five star review. "The most important finding of the book is that Schmidt succeeded in raising the international importance of the Federal Republic. His successors have profited from it."

Read and listen to the full review here(in German).

New Statesman

Dr Kristina Spohr contributed an article with Professor David Reynolds (Professor of International History, University of Cambridge) to the New Statesman, Britain's current affairs and politics magazine. The article is titled "Speaking the Unspeakable" and was published on 10 October 2016. In their article, Dr Spohr and Professor Reynolds address the "enormous missed opportunity" that was the Reykjavik summit and the need to revise this negative view of the summit thirty years on. Armed with recently released transcripts of the meetings, as well as other documents from both the Russian and the American archives, the scholars argue that out of the failure of the Reykjavik summit a new order was built. Read the full article for free.

Rheinische Postnewspaper

On 23 September, Dr Kristina Spohr was featured in the "Duesseldorf – Talk of the Town" section of the German-speaking Rheinische Postnewspaper. In an article, titled "Kristina Spohr Presents Book on Helmut Schmidt", she talks about the genesis of her newest book, Helmut Schmidt: Der Weltkanzler(an extended German edition of her previously published The Global Chancellor: Helmut Schmidt and the Reshaping of the International Order) as well as her ongoing book tour, which has taken her to several cities, including Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt, Berlin and Brussels. Read the full article(in German).

©Theiss Verlag

History Extra Podcast: Cold War Summits

Dr Kristina Spohr and Professor David Reynolds were on History Extra Podcast, the podcast of BBC History Magazine, on 15 September 2016, to discuss their new book about the postwar meetings between international leaders that aimed to control the nuclear arms race. Listen to the podcast. Dr Kristina Spohr and Professor David Reynolds are the editors of Transcending the Cold War: Summits, Statecraft, and the Dissolution of Bipolarity in Europe, 1970-1990(OUP). The book is the first study on the contribution of summit meetings to the peaceful dénouement of the Cold War. Itanalyses the relationships between the superpowers and their views on arms control, explores their triangular relationship with China, and raises the German question. It is a major multinational study, based on archives from both sides of the 'Iron Curtain'. Purchase the book on Amazon.

Listen to the podcast

Press coverage of Helmut Schmidt: Der Weltkanzler

Dr Kristina Spohr did the rounds of the German press to introduce her newest book, Helmut Schmidt: Der Weltkanzler(Theiss), to the German public. On 14 September, Dr Spohr was interviewed by the German radio station SWR2for the programme Journal am Mittag: Kulturgespraeche. Listen to the interviewon SWR2 (in German). On the day of the book's release, 15 September, the Hamburger Abendblattnewspaper published a feature piece about her research (incl. in Schmidt’s private archive), and her interpretation of the former Chancellor’s late seventies foreign policy. Read the interview in the Hamburger Abendblatt website(in German and with subscription) or download the article(JPG format).

©Marcelo Hernandez/ Hamburger Abendblatt

On the same day, she was also interviewed by the German TV station, SAT 1 Regional (Norddeutschland), on occasion of her book launch, which took place in Hamburg and featured former Federal Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück, former Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen (Finland) and First Mayor of Hamburg, Olaf Scholz. Watch the interview.

Watch Dr Kristina Spohr on SAT.1 Regional (in German)

Book launch: Helmut Schmidt, Der Weltkanzler, 15 September

Dr Kristina Spohr’s newest book, Helmut Schmidt: Der Weltkanzler, was launched on Thursday, 15 September, in Hamburg. Der Weltkanzleris the extended German edition of her book, Helmut Schmidt: The Global Chancellor, published earlier in the year by the Oxford University Press. The book launch for Der Weltkanzlerwas organised by the Helmut and Loki Schmidt Foundationin cooperation with Die Zeitand Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft (WBG). The event, fully booked, featured a panel discussion with former Federal Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück and former Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen (Finland). The panel was moderated by Matthias Nass (Die Zeit) and the book was introduced by the First Mayor of Hamburg, Olaf Scholz. See hereand read about Der Weltkanzler’s book launch(in German).

Helmut Schmidt: Der Weltkanzlerout now

Dr Kristina Spohr’s latest book, Helmut Schmidt: Der Weltkanzler, published by Theiss Verlag, was released on 15 September 2016. Der Weltkanzleris the extended German edition of The Global Chancellor, published earlier in the year by Oxford University Press. In her book, Dr Spohr portraits Helmut Schmidt and his foreign policy views in the troubled 1970s in a new light. The result is a portrait of a "world Chancellor" who was well versed in global economic and security issues alike. Dr Spohr’s book relies on extensive research conducted in Schmidt's private archives and in numerous archives in Europe and the US. Her argument is supplemented by personal interviews with the former chancellor. It arises from a new and dense political portrait of the Global Chancellor in the context of his time.

Transcending the Cold War:The power of summits

On occasion of their new edited book’s release, Dr Kristina Spohr and Professor David Reynolds(University of Cambridge) contributed a post to the Oxford University Press blog, entitled "When to talk and when to walk". The post delves on the importance, meaning and historical transformative power of summits and dialogpolitik."Summitry", Dr Spohr and Professor Reynolds argue in their post, "involves nerve-wracking judgement-calls for leaders: it requires hard calculations about opportunity, timing and personality – as challenging in the era of Merkel and Putin as in the days of Nixon and Brezhnev or Reagan and Gorbachev. Parleying at the summit is a matter of vision and skill, nerve and guts. Yet for those who are successful there is, perhaps, the chance to become a Maker of History. Here lies the perennial and fateful attraction of summitry." Dr Spohr and Professor Reynolds new edited book, Transcending the Cold War: Summits, Statecraft, and the Dissolution of Bipolarity in Europe, 1970-1990, was released on 1 September. Purchase the book on Amazon.

Transcending the Cold Warfor the British Academy podcast

Dr Kristina Spohr and her co-editor, Professor David Reynolds, talked about their new book, Transcending the Cold War: Summits, Statecraft, and the Dissolution of Bipolarity in Europe, 1970-1990(Oxford University Press, 2016) with Bridget Kendall for the British Academy podcast. The podcast was released on the eve of the book's publication, 1 September 2016. Listen to the podcast podcast. Read moreabout Transcending the Cold War.

Transcending the Cold Warout now

Dr Kristina Spohr’s latest book, Transcending the Cold War: Summits, Statecraft, and the Dissolution of Bipolarity in Europe, 1970–1990, edited with Professor David Reynolds, was published by Oxford University Press on 1 September. As described by OUP, "the manuscript is a major multinational study, based on archives from both sides of the 'Iron Curtain’. It highlights the contribution of international statecraft to the peaceful dissolution of Europe's bipolar order by examining pivotal summit meetings from 1970 to 1990. (...) Written in lively prose, Transcending the Cold Waris essential reading for anyone interested not just in modern history but also current international affairs!" Purchase the book here. Transcending the Cold Waris Dr Kristina Spohr’s second book published this year. She is also the author of The Global Chancellor: Helmut Schmidtand the Reshaping of the International Order(Oxford University Press, 2016). Its extended German editionHelmut Schmidt: Der Weltkanzler(Theiss) will be coming out soon.

Dr Kristina Spohr interviewed for the Literaturtest blog

On 19 August 2016, in an exclusive interview for the Literaturtest blog, Dr Kristina Spohr answered questions about Helmut Schmidt, the subject of her new book The Global Chancellor(2016, OUP) and its extended German edition, Der Weltkanzler(Theiss Verlag), out on 12 September. She also talked about meeting the former chancellor in person and her view on what Schmidt would think of the Brexit referendum. Read the full interview(in German).

LSE Excellence in Education Award

In June 2016, Dr Kristina Spohr won an LSE Excellence in Education Award. Designed to support the School’s aspiration of creating ‘a culture where excellence in teaching is valued and rewarded on a level with excellence in research’ (LSE Strategy 2020), the Excellence in Education Awards are made, on the recommendations of Heads of Department, to staff who have demonstrated outstanding teaching contribution and educational leadership in their departments.

Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship

Dr Kristina Spohr has been awarded a one-year Leverhulme Research Fellowshipto work on her next book with the working title 'A Conservative Revolution: 1989-1992 in Global Perspective’. This book will offer a fundamental reappraisal of how in 1989-92 the map of Europe was transformed and how the world exited the global Cold War. The project is of real topical urgency because the new international order that emerged after the Soviet Union disintegrated has remained with us to the present day, but is now under serious challenge, especially in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia.

Dr Kristina Spohr at the German Embassy to talk about her latest book

At the invitation of the German Ambassador, Dr Peter Ammon, Dr Kristina Spohr was at the German Embassy in London on 12 May 2016 to talk about her book, Helmut Schmidt: The Global Chancellor, with Quentin Peel, former Foreign Editor of the Financial Times. Dr Spohr’s book, published by Oxford University Press earlier this year and can be purchased here. Read more about the event in the German Embassy in London website.

Photo credit: @GermanEmbassyand @eevriviades

Dr Kristina Spohr on the Schmidt-Carter non-relationship in the OUP blog

In an article published by the the Oxford University Press’s blog on 26 April, Dr Kristina Spohr explains how the Schmidt-Carter non-relationship "strained to the limit the bond between West Germany and America". Her analysis, entitled "A Prickly Pair: Helmut Schmidt and Jimmy Carter", shows why Schmidt and Carter’s relationship was soured from the beginning, marking an exception in the "chancellor’s modus operandi in international politics, which privileged the importance of reliable ‘political friendships.’" Read her article.

Dr Kristina Spohr on Genscher in the European Politics and Policy LSE blog

On 18 April, Dr Kristina Spohr contributed a post to the EUROPP LSE Blog, called "A reminder of the road not taken: Hans-Dietrich Genscher and the holy grail of a united Europe". In her post, she writes about the career of the late Hans-Dietrich Genscher, West Germany’s longest serving foreign minister and vice-chancellor, his role in unifying Germany, and his ultimate aspiration to integrate both NATO and the Warsaw Pact into an all-European security order that incorporated the Soviet Union. Read the full post.

The Global Chancellorto be published in German

Dr Kristina Spohr’s book, The Global Chancellor: Helmut Schmidt and the Reshaping of the International Order, will be made available in German by Theiss on 15 September 2016. The book will be entitled Helmut Schmidt: Der Weltkanzler. Read more about the German edition in Theiss’s website.

Watch Dr Spohr talking about her book (in German)

Dr Kristina Spohr on Cambridge TV on the late Hans-Dietrich Genscher, German Foreign Minister (1974-1992)

On Friday, 8 April 2016, Dr Kristina Spohr was on Cambridge TV News. She gave a 10-minute long interview on Hans-Dietrich Genscher, the former German Foreign Minister (1974-1992), who passed away on 31 March 2016. Watch the interview.

The Global Chancellor's book launchDr Kristina Spohr’s book launch took place on Wednesday, 6 April 2016, at the European Parliament. The event was hosted by the MEPs Jakob von Weizsaecker and Knut Fleckenstein. The Global Chancellor was published by Oxford University Press in March. In her book, Dr Spohr retrieves Chancellor Helmut Schmidt’s true significance as a pivotal figure who helped reshape the global order during the crisis-ridden 1970s. This major reinterpretation, based on detailed research in Schmidt's private papers and numerous archives in Europe and America, reveals him as a leader equally skilled in economics and security, and adept at personal diplomacy, who dared to act as a 'double interpreter' between the superpowers during the nadir of the Cold War. Read more about The Global Chancellorin the OUP's website. Buy the book on Amazon.New book: The Global ChancellorDr Kristina Spohr’s much anticipated book, The Global Chancellor: Helmut Schmidt and the Reshaping of the International Order, was published on 24 March 2016 by Oxford University Press. Her new book is the first major study in English of Schmidt's foreign policy and its intellectual roots. It shows Schmidt as a 'global chancellor', engaging with major world leaders such as Kissinger. It combines biography, economic history, and security studies. It contributes to current debate on the Cold War and globalization in the 1970s; and it presents a multi-national approach, based on numerous archives in five countries, including Schmidt's own private papers. Read all about The Global Chancellorin the OUP's website. Order it on Amazon. Meeting Helmut SchmidtDr Kristina Spohr has contributed a post to the Oxford University Press Blog (17 March) on "Meeting Helmut Schmidt: The Man Behind the Statesman". Her book, The Global Chancellor, is published by Oxford University Press and comes out on 24 March. In this post, Dr Spohr offers the reader a fascinating glance into her research and the man she places at the centre of her manuscript. Read the full post.BBC Radio 4On 16 February 2016, Dr Spohr was on BBC Radio 4's Making History programme. At a time when historians are taking more and more interest in the end of the Cold War, with their research aided by the opening up of archives in the former Eastern Bloc countries, Helen Castor met up with Professor David Reynolds from the University of Cambridge and Dr Kristina Spohr to discuss history of the Cold War. Their new edited book, Transcending the Cold War(OUP) will be published in September 2016. Listen to Dr Kristina Spohr from 07m15s.Dr Kristina Spohr co-presents "Secrets of the Cold War" history series on German TV ZDFDr Kristina Spohr was a co-presenter in the 5-part TV series 'Secrets of the Cold War’(Geheimnisse des Kalten Krieges) on the German TV channel ZDFinfo, first aired on 27 and 28 December 2015. Watch part 1, part 2, part 3and part 4of the TV series currently available on live stream.

Interviewed by L.I.S.A.

Dr Kristina Spohr was interviewed about the late former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt for L.I.S.A, the Science Portal of the Gerda Henkel Foundation, on 24 November 2015. The interview, which can be read here, is in German and is entitled: "Helmut Schmidt hat Weltpolitik betrieben". The Department of International History and and the Gerda Henkel Foundation co-operate to host the yearly Gerda Henkel Visiting Professorship which aims to promote awareness in Britain of German research on the history of the German Federal Republic and the German Democratic Republic, and to stimulate comparative work on German history in a European context.

On Helmut Schmidt's Death in the Guardianand in the German and Finnish Press

Dr Kristina Spohr, our expert in International History of Germany since 1945, marked the death of Chancellor Schmidt on 10 November 2015 with an opinion article in the Guardian. In her article, entitled "Helmut Schmidt – a German leader with a global vision", Dr Spohr claimed "his reputation is understated at home, but the West German chancellor’s brilliance on the world stage made him one of Europe’s greatest leaders". "As a historian I would argue that Schmidt, who was chancellor from 1974 to 1982, ranks alongside the best global leaders. Schmidt’s achievements were not so much in the national arena but as what I have called a "global chancellor". "Helmut Schmidt deserves to be remembered as West Germany’s "global chancellor". Dr Spohr, who was with Helmut Schmidt in October 2015, explains the concept of Helmut Schmidt as a "Global Chancellor" in her upcoming book published by Oxford University Press, called The Global Chancellor: Helmut Schmidt and the Reshaping of the International Order. Her book will come out in March 2016 and can be pre-ordered at Amazon. Dr Spohr's reference to Helmut Schmidt as "the global chancellor" has been referenced extensively in the German media. Namely in the Der Spiegel, Zeit, Express, Focus Magazine(online video), web.de, Deutschlandfunk, Hamburger Abendblattand in the Westdeutsche Zeitung. She also wrote a commentary for the Finnish newspaper, Iltalehti.

Churchill College's Political Leadership Symposium

Dr Kristina Spohr, our specialist in the International History of Germany since 1945, participated in the The Challenge of Political Leadership Symposiumon Friday, 13 November 2015, at Churchill College, University of Cambridge. This one day symposium sought to look at the challenge of understanding, assessing and improving political leadership. It sought to bring together historians and political scientists with politicians and practitioners in a multidisciplinary and cross party approach. British Labour politician, Lord Peter Mandelson, and former Secretary of State for Education and Home Secretary, The Right Honourable Charles Clarke, were the keynote speakers. The event was a collaboration between the Churchill Archives Centre, The Møller Centre, Cambridge University Department of Politics and International Studies and the Faculty of History.

WatchDr Spohr's participation at the Symposium. WatchDr Spohr give an interview to Cambridge TV about the Challenge of Political Leadership.

The Guardian

Dr Kristina Spohr and Professor Christopher Clark wrote a comment for The Guardian, published in May 2015. The comment entitled "Moscow’s account of Nato expansion is a case of false memory syndrome" asserts that it's time for a reality check. "Russia’s grievances today rest on a narrative of past betrayals, slights and humiliations". The comment can be read here.

Beyond the Cold War: how summits shaped the new world order

The seventh LSE Works lecture took place on Thursday 5 March and was given by LSE International History’s Dr Kristina Spohr on ‘Beyond the Cold War: how summits shaped the new world order’.

The respondents were Rodric Braithwaite GCMG, a British diplomat and author; Roderic Lyne, Deputy Chairman of Chatham House and Adviser, Russia and Eurasia Programme, and Arne Westad, Professor of International History at LSE and Director of LSE IDEAS. The event was chaired by Professor Stuart Corbridge, Deputy Director and Provost of LSE.

LSE Works is a series public lectures that will showcase some of the latest research by LSE's academic departments and research centres. In each session, LSE academics present key research findings, demonstrating where appropriate the implications of their studies for public policy.

Listen to the podcast or watch the lecture here.

Funding success for Dr Kristina Spohr's Cold War Summitry

Dr Kristina Spohr, Deputy Head of the International History Department is lead-author of a book entitled Cold War Summitry: Transcending the Division of Europe, 1970-1990, for which she has a contract with Oxford University Press.

She is collaborating on this project with Professor David Reynolds (Cambridge University), with whom she has recently won a British Academy/ Leverhulme Trust Small Research Grant as well as getting awards from LSE HEIF5 (Knowledge Exchange), and Cambridge University's CRASSH (Centre for research in the arts, social sciences and humanities) and Mellon Fund, amounting overall to £ 21,000.

This is to hold a conferenceon the book at Cambridge University (22-23 Sept. 2014) and a practitioners seminar at the FCO, London (24 Sept. 2014). A document collection of ca. 100 digitised government sources from Germany, Britain, France, America, Russia and China will be made publicly available after the conference by the National Security Archivein Washington D.C.

Spohr invited to speak at the 2014 Konrad Adenauer Stiftung’s conference

Dr Kristina Spohr, Deputy Head of the International History Department, was an invited guest speaker at the Petersberg in Königswinter on 5 February. She gave a lecture entitled ‘"Die deutsch-amerikanische Sicherheitspolitik in der Phase der Wiedervereinigung 1989/90",or "A story of German International Emancipation through Political Unification" as part of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung’s conference "Die Ära Kohl im Gespräch". Fellow lecturers included former chancellor Helmut Kohl’s national security advisor Horst Teltschik and former U.S. president George H.W. Bush’s national security advisor General Brent Scowcroft. Read more.

Professor Kristina Spohr usually teaches the following courses in the department:

At undergraduate level:

HY320: The Cold War Endgame, 1975-1991

At postgraduate level:

HY432: From Cold Warriors to Peacemakers: The End of the Cold War Era, 1979-1997

Supervision

Professor Spohr's former PhD students include Dr Elizabeth J. Benning (2011), Dr Eirini Karamouzi (2012), Dr Rui Lopes (2012), Dr Rita Augestad-Knudsen (2014) and Dr Zhong Z. Chen (2014).