Those who lived between 1945 and 1989 had learned to consider the international environment inherited from Hitler's war as a given. The older generation struggled to heal wounds, while the younger tried to build dreams in the shadow of bipolarity and the balance of terror.

For the luckier ones, in the “developed” world, both Eastern and Western, this meant a more or less stable and predictable environment. For others, in the so-called “Third World,” instability and insecurity were the norm.

The Cold War unexpectedly ended in 1989-90. Contrary to the fears of many, it did not happen suddenly but quietly. This book attempts to summarize the how and why of the Cold War's development, on both a global and Greek level, and at the same time, to serve as an introduction to this current, equally unpredictable, phase of human history.