Helsinki revisited

Mehr zum Buch

The Helsinki Final Act of the 1975 Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) established rules for legitimate changes in national borders, emphasizing peaceful means and mutual agreement. Alongside the 1990 Charter of Paris for a New Europe, the Helsinki Accords fostered peaceful coexistence between the West and the Eastern Bloc, culminating in a “Joint Declaration of Twenty-two States” that marked the end of the Cold War, with NATO and Warsaw Pact members recognizing they were no longer adversaries. The ongoing Helsinki process, now represented by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), has contributed to the establishment of pluralist democracy, market economies, and personal freedoms. This framework can inform current challenges in Ukraine and other regions formerly part of the Soviet Union. John J. Maresca, a senior U.S. diplomat deeply involved in these negotiations, served as the first and only U.S. Ambassador to the newly-independent states after the USSR's dissolution. In this memoir, he recounts the journey to the Helsinki Accords and subsequent agreements, reflecting on a transformative period that remains highly relevant today.