“Belief in the inevitability of conflict can become one of its main causes.” Donald Rumsfeld.
In the 2016 Spring semester, to mark the 25th anniversary of the end of the Cold War, the Graduate Program in International Affairs at the Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy is hosting a series of panel discussions and film screenings (curated by Professor Nina Khrushcheva and MA candidate Gabrielle Belli). The symposium aims to explore the symbiotic relations—both past and contemporary—between the media and politics that trace back to the golden age of Hollywood, the times of the Cold War.
Of particular interest is the Russian experience as the perpetual nemesis, “the evil empire,” the superpower rival during the Cold War, its communist ideology seen an existential threat to the American way of life. The fact that Moscow has been behaving badly in recent years—with President Vladimir Putin meddling in Ukraine’s politics, annexing Crimea in 2014—has validated Americans’ view of “evil” Soviets lurking in the new Russian empire. But even before Putin took Crimea, more than 60 percent of Americans already regarded Russia as a bad guy on the world stage.
Politics is largely to blame, but Hollywood may be a real culprit in this drama. American culture never adapted to Moscow’s friendlier face. Though the Cold War was over in 1991 following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, movie executives decided to ignore that memo. Today Hollywood might gleefully rejoice–we told you so. And recent films such as a historical drama Bridge of Spies (2015), directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks, further exemplify how little the American perception of the “enemy” has changed.
Twenty-five years after the Cold War ended, the West again finds itself on the verge of a new Cold War, with conflicts in Ukraine and Syria at the center. For Hollywood especially, the Russia-as-perpetual-enemy trope, lends itself well to explaining contemporary political contexts in popular media.
Each symposia explores a different strands of politics, media and international affairs. Please join us at one or all of our events:
Monday, February 29, 4:00-6:00PM–The Red Scare: Hollywood and Manipulation, parts 1 and 2
Tuesday, March 29, 4:00-6:00PM–The Perfect Enemy: Long Live the Cold War
Tuesday, April 26, 4:00-7:00PM–Caught in the Crossfire: International Media and Politics
Wednesday, May 11, 6:00-8:00PM–Perpetual Perpetrators: Contemporary Contexts
Follow the conversation on Facebook and Twitter, #HollywoodColdWar
This event is sponsored by the The New School’s Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy, Center for New York City Affairs, and Global Studies.
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In the 2016 Spring semester, to mark the 25th anniversary of the end of the Cold War , the Graduate Program in International Affairs at Milano School is holding a series of panel discussions and film screenings (curated by Professor Nina Khrushcheva and MA candidate Gabrielle Belli). The symposium aims to explore the symbiotic relations–both past and contemporary–between the media and politics that trace back to the golden age of Hollywood, the times of the Cold War.