With the world teetering on the edge of nuclear war, 40 years ago University of Edinburgh academics convened private meetings including officials from the Kremlin and the Pentagon to encourage greater understanding on both sides.
These groundbreaking summits – known as the Edinburgh Conversations – are to be commemorated at a special University event featuring some of those who worked with the key players.
Retired US Air Force Colonel Fred Clark Boli – who worked closely with Professor John Erickson, the chief architect of the Conversations – will speak with John Sturrock KC, one of the UK’s leading mediators.
The pair, both Edinburgh graduates, will discuss the invaluable contribution of Prof Erickson and others, relive their friendships with them and reveal the part they themselves played in the meetings.
The free event, which takes place at Edinburgh Futures Institute on Wednesday 18 September, will ask how this approach can be replicated today, against the backdrop of the current rise in global tensions.
Vital link
The Edinburgh Conversations took place between 1981 and 1988 at the University and in Moscow. They acted as a vital link between the adversaries in a bid to ease tensions by discussing arms control and international security.
As Professor of Defence Studies, Erickson was respected on both sides of the Iron Curtain due to his Soviet military expertise and deep understanding of the complexities of Cold War relations.
He was aided at the University by Michael Westcott who acted as secretary to the Conversations and who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the success of the summits.
The Conversations took place against a backdrop of intense Cold War tensions, including events like the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the deployment of nuclear missiles in Europe, and the shooting down of a Korean airliner by Soviet forces.
John Sturrock KC said:
“There were many reasons for the shift in the East-West dynamic. The University of Edinburgh played a role in the thawing of relations which is probably more significant than any official record will ever show. The Conversations were characterised by open dialogue, continuity of contact, reciprocity of visits, social events and free and frank exchange of ideas. They helped to change mindsets and to reduce the risk of a nuclear exchange. Given how fractured East-West relations have once again become, there is surely a pressing need now to rediscover the essence of the Edinburgh Conversations.”
The above photo shows Professor John Erickson (front right) and a group of participants in the Conversations in the mid eighties. Courtesy of John Sturrock, circa 1986.
Book tickets to A Conversation about the Edinburgh Conversations
