Britain, Détente, and the Helsinki CSCE 'Fathers of the Final Act’

Introduction  Chapter 1: Frameworks  Chapter 2: From Pioneer to ‘Leper’ of Détente, 1953-1971  Chapter 3: ‘Cassandra’, 1972  Chapter 4: Insider Activist: Part 1, 1972-1973  Chapter 5: Insider Activist: Part 2, 1973  Chapter 6: ‘Fathers of the Final Act’: Part 1, 1973-1974  Chapter 7: ‘Fathers of the Final Act’: Part 2, 1974-1975  Conclusion

Biography

Kai Hebel is Assistant Professor of International Relations at Leiden University, the Netherlands. He has published on the Cold War, the CSCE, human rights, military intervention, transatlantic relations, EU foreign policy, political culture, and film. He holds advanced degrees from the Sorbonne, Philipps-Universität Marburg, and Oxford University, including a MPhil and a DPhil in International Relations.

'Kai Hebel offers a superbly researched analysis of an important turning point in European history. This exemplary study is also a timely reminder of a period when Britain played a highly constructive role in a pan-European undertaking.'

Timothy Garton Ash, Professor of European Studies and Isaiah Berlin Professorial Fellow emeritus, St Antony’s College, University of Oxford

'This book is a major masterpiece. It breaks new ground by revealing for the first time the important role of British negotiators in drafting the Helsinki Final Act of 1975, a milestone in the history of modern diplomacy. Dr Hebel crafts an illuminating narrative of the complex negotiations, skilfully navigating a clear path through a huge forest of primary sources. The depth and breadth of his multi-archival research is truly impressive, as is his analytical rigour and argumentative power. His insights on negotiations between adversaries, the role of diplomacy, and the interplay between multilateralism and power will be of great and enduring interest to students and practitioners of international politics.'

Richard Davy, author of Defrosting the Cold War and Beyond: An Introduction to the Helsinki Process, 1954-2022 

'In Britain, Détente, and the Helsinki CSCE, Kai Hebel transforms our understanding of Britain’s place in European détente. Drawing on multi-archival research across NATO, Warsaw Pact, and non-aligned sources, Hebel overturns the myth of the UK as a marginal actor, revealing instead its evolution into a key architect of the Helsinki Final Act’s most liberalising provisions. Both as a revisionist contribution to Cold War historiography and as a model of integrating diplomatic history with international relations theory, this book will be indispensable to scholars seeking to understand the mechanics, meanings, and legacies of détente.'

Aryo Makko, Swedish Defence University and Stockholm University

'This empirically-grounded, theoretically-relevant and very well written book is an impressive and persuasive reconstruction of the UK’s diplomatic influence in a critical period of postwar history. It fluently interweaves a comprehensive diplomatic story with broader historical themes and debates. Though it avoids polemics, the book also provides a valuable historical perspective on all that was lost with Brexit.'

Daniel C. Thomas, Professor of International Relations, Leiden University