Austria as a Mediator in the Cold War?

Authors

  • Anna Graf-Steiner Ludwig Boltzmann Instituts für Kriegsfolgenforschung, Graz
  • Peter Ruggenthaler Ludwig Boltzmann Instituts für Kriegsfolgenforschung, Graz

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15203/4152.vol53.2024

Abstract

After the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Austrian federal government was increasingly confronted with accusations from the political camp, but also from the public and parts of civil society, that Austria was no longer fulfilling its traditional role as a neutral, peace-building actor. In this context, general reference is regularly made to Austria's supposed successes in this regard during the Cold War. This article examines the question of what role neutral Austria played historically during the Cold War. It traces in stages how Austria increasingly developed into an “honest broker” between East and West with an “active neutrality policy”. On the other hand, it also shows the limits that severely restricted Austria's room for manoeuvre in foreign policy during the Cold War.

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Published

2024-05-14