Elisabeth Roehrlich [BIAAS-122114]

At a time of growing distrust in intergovernmental organizations, a look back at the history of contemporary international institutions, most of which were established as a result of US initiatives during and after World War Two, can help us better understand their role during the 20th century. Newly-available archival material, new oral history projects, and an ever-increasing interest of historians in the evolution of global governance call for an in-depth, personal scholarly exchange. The conference aims to assess the state of the field, present and discuss new and empirically-based research, and identify future research agendas and avenues for cooperation. Despite ideological oppositions and political tensions between the Cold War antagonists, the second half of the 20th century has been viewed as a “golden age” of internationalism (A. Iriye ). Vienna, as the site of one of the UN headquarters and with its rich history as a bridge between East and West, presents not only an ideal place to host this conference, but is itself an important part of the history of international organizations during the Cold War. The US strongly supported neutral Austria’s ambitions to host intergovernmental organizations since the establishment of the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) in Vienna in 1957. The conference is organized by Elisabeth Roehrlich and Eva-Maria Muschik of the University of Vienna, in cooperation with Sandrine Kott (University of Geneva and New York University).