By virtue of its geographical and historical position, postwar Austria was condemned to a prominent role in the plans of both the East and the West. In this account of an unusual episode in the Cold War, Audrey Kurth Cronin examines the negotiations over Austria and the Soviet Union's sudden and surprising decision to withdraw its troops and accept the country as a neutral Western state, after having rejected any settlement for eight years. Drawing on a wealth of recently declassified British and American documents and on interviews with key Austrian participants, Cronin analyzes the events leading up to the 1955 Austrian State Treaty and, in the process, strengthens our understanding of current East-West relations. Her account of the creation of a neutral state in the heart of a divided Europe will be important reading for all who are concerned with security affairs, international relations, and the history of the Cold War.

This study provides a comprehensive examination of the East–West occupation of Austria from the end of World War II to the signing of the Austrian State Treaty in 1955. Examining US, Soviet, British, French, and Austrian sources, the authors trace the complex negotiation process that led to the signing of the treaty.

The year 1995 marks two decisive anniversaries in the history of modern Austria: 50 years since the ending of the German occupation and 40 years since the signing of the State Treaty and the ending of the Allied occupation. This book will focus on the first ten years of post-war Austria at a time when this period is under critical and popular scrutiny. 'This is a valuable contribution to our knowledge of the critical first ten years of Austria's postwar history . . . readable, well documented and informative . . .There is much food for thought; some of it may even cause indigestion in Austria if, as one hopes, the book finds a wide readership there.' (Forum for Modern Language Studies)

"The purpose of this book is to examine the complex origins of the political culture of the Second Republic"--Introduction.

"A superb book.…Mearsheimer has made a significant contribution to our understanding of the behavior of great powers."—Barry R. Posen, The National Interest The updated edition of this classic treatise on the behavior of great powers takes a penetrating look at the question likely to dominate international relations in the twenty-first century: Can China rise peacefully? In clear, eloquent prose, John Mearsheimer explains why the answer is no: a rising China will seek to dominate Asia, while the United States, determined to remain the world's sole regional hegemon, will go to great lengths to prevent that from happening. The tragedy of great power politics is inescapable.