The core missions of The George Washington Cold War Group (GWCW) are to promote innovative research and teaching about the Cold War and to highlight policy relevant legacies of the Cold War. GWCW focuses not only on the traditional military and strategic dimensions of Cold War history but also on the social and cultural impact of the conflict. We see the Cold War not simply as an ideological strug
gle between the United States and the Soviet Union but as a complex and multi-faceted event that influenced the lives of peoples throughout the globe in numerous and intricate ways. In conferences and workshops, the group has engaged diverse issues including: the Cold War in Asia, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the impact of the Cold War on decolonization, North Korean crises during the 1950s and 1960s, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. These activities shed light on how Cold War legacies – economic, political, psychological, military, and environmental – continue to affect public policy in many parts of the world, including here in Washington. Since its founding fifteen years ago, GWCW has been run out of the Institute for European and Eurasian Studies at the Elliott School of International Affairs. GWCW is grateful to the Elliott School's SOAR Program for its assistance.
