In the not so cold month of december (at least in Amsterdam) we discuss research on the Cold War. Hosts Luuc Brans and Misha Melita talk to three researchers of the University of Amsterdam. Paul van Hooft researched the Grand Strategy of Western powers by looking at how experiences of victory and defeat in WWII shaped long-term foreign policy during the Cold War and beyond. Artemy Kalinovsky did in-depth research in Tadjikistan on the developmentail aid of the USSR, focusing on the tension between development on the one hand, and industrialization and the preservation of cultural economy on the other hand. Joep Sonnemans' guest column was on the development of game theory against the background of foreign policy.