Although the end of the Cold War is widely regarded as a development of enormous importance, its significance has yet to be the subject of serious commentary among scholars with an interest in modern diplomacy. I reached this conclusion in my capacity as editor of Diplomatic History, the journal of record for specialists in the field, and following conversations with a number of colleagues here and abroad. All agreed that the journal should turn its attention to the subject as an aid to scholars, teachers, and general readers with an interest in diplomatic and national security affairs. With this idea in mind, I began to solicit the essays that follow, almost all of which first appeared in Diplomatic History.

My goal was to recruit contributions from distinguished specialists who represented different fields of study, different points of view, and in some cases different countries. I gave all of the contributors the same general instructions. I asked each of them to write a “think-piece” on the end of the Cold War, its meaning and implications. I described the piece I had in mind as a longer, more historically informed version of the kind of essay that appears on the editorial pages of the best newspapers. Although I suggested certain topics that might be taken up, I basically gave the contributors carte blanche to discuss whatever they considered important. These instructions ran the risk of producing a smorgasbord of unconnected contributions-and, in fact, each of the essays has unique features.