CONFERENCE NEWS
The “Ostpolitik” Conference at the Mershon Center
Poster for Professor Carole Fink’s Conference
T
he Deparment of History’s Professor Carole Fink was co-convener of a
major international conference at Ohio State’s Mershon Center for International Security Studies on the topic of “Ostpolitik.” According to
the center, “Ostpolitik” refers to the principle of change through rapprochement. German for “Eastern politics,” the term originated with West German Chancellor Willy Brandt’s efforts to normalize relations with East Germany and other East European states in the 1970s. Ostpolitik has influenced world politics; for example, South Korea’s “Sunshine Policy” toward North Korea takes a similar approach. This conference looks at how Ostpolitik has influenced international relations in Europe and around the world, including a consideration of the nuclear weapons issue. Speakers came to the conference from Germany, Russia, South Africa, Korea, Poland, Wales, France, Italy, Czechoslavakia, and various universities in the United States to discuss the manifestations of Ostpolitik around the world. We congratulate Professor Fink along with all the organizers and participants for this outstanding example of international scholarly cooperation for the study of a crucial idea in modern diplomacy. [For photographs of this event see: http://www.mershon.ohio state.edu/Events/ 05-06events/ostpolitikconf/ostpolitikphotos1.htm ] ■ Professor Carole Fink with Bernd Schaefer
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Conference Panelists: L-R: Meung–Hoan Noh, Amit Das Gupta, Bernd Schaefer