Thursday 06 February 2020 6:30pm to 8:00pm Hosted by the Department of International History Thai Theatre, New Academic Building, LSE, United Kingdom Book launch of Dr Sara Lorenzini’s Global Development (Princeton University Press), which tells the story of how the Cold War was fundamental to construct the institutions, concepts, and discourse around foreign aid that survive today. In the Cold War, “development” was a catchphrase that came to signify progress, modernity, and economic growth. Development aid was closely aligned with the security concerns of the great powers, for whom infrastructure and development projects were ideological tools for conquering hearts and minds around the globe, from Europe and Africa to Asia and Latin America. In this sweeping and incisive book, Sara Lorenzini provides a global history of development, drawing on a wealth of archival evidence to offer a panoramic and multifaceted portrait of a Cold War phenomenon that transformed the modern world. Taking readers from the aftermath of the Second World War to the tearing down of the Berlin Wall, Lorenzini shows how development projects altered local realities, transnational interactions, and even ideas about development itself. She shines new light on the international organizations behind these projects—examining their strategies and priorities and assessing the actual results on the ground—and she also gives voice to the recipients of development aid. Lorenzini shows how the Cold War shaped the global ambitions of development on both sides of the Iron Curtain, and how international organizations promoted an unrealistically harmonious vision of development that did not reflect local and international differences. An unparalleled journey into the political, intellectual, and economic history of the twentieth century, this book presents a global perspective on Cold War development, demonstrating how its impacts are still being felt today. This event is hosted by the Department of International History and LSE IDEAS Cold War Studies Project. Sara Lorenzini is Associate Professor of International History, Jean Monnet Chair, and Director of the Master in International Security Studies at the School of International Studies, University of Trento, Italy. She has written extensively on the history of the Cold War. Among her works: Una strana guerra fredda. Lo sviluppo e le relazioni Nord-Sud (Bologna: Il Mulino, 2017) and L’Italia e il trattato di pace del 1947 (Bologna: Il Mulino, 2007).  Global Development. A Cold War History (Princeton University Press, 2019) is her latest book. Roham Alvandi is...