The project aims to provide the first research study on the impact that the revival of Cold War tension had, or did not have, in Southeastern Europe from 1977 up to 1989. The coming of détente in Southeastern Europe had proved particularly difficult, but since the mid-1970s several Balkan states had been pioneering the ‘Helsinki Spirit’. In 1977-78, Cold War tensions began to sharpen, leading to the escalation of East-West tension and the initiation of the so-called ‘Second Cold War’. Although the Balkan states had been frontline states of the Cold War, this did not affect the region. On the contrary, the prospect of bilateral, and at some occasions even regional cooperation, flourished. Why did this happen?