The Helsinki Final Act, signed in 1975 after three years of East-West negotiations, was a landmark in Cold War diplomacy and the culmination of Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev’s strategy of détente. But the substance of the 35-country agreement only dimly reflected the Soviets’ original ambitions. Instead, the Final Act embodied Western principles of international order—especially regarding sovereignty, security and human rights—which defined the course of the Cold War in the years that followed. This talk will explain the Soviets’ hopes…