On October 11, 2017, Ambassadors Franz Cede and Christian Prosl addressed "Austrian-American Relations in a Period of Turmoil" at the Austrian Cultural Forum in Washington DC. The lecture was based on their co-authored book Ambition and Reality. Austria's Foreign Policy since 1945 (2017), which describes Austria’s foreign policy after WWII, and provides insight into diplomatic practice.
It delivers an overview of the developments of the past decades — from the re-establishment of the Foreign Service and Austria’s role in the Cold War to the changes that have taken place since the EU accession in 1995. The book sheds light on Austria’s relations with its neighboring states, the ambivalent relationship with the United States and the effects of the USSR’s collapse.
Both top former diplomats have authored the book based on their many years of experience in the diplomatic service: Christian Prosl served as ambassador to the United States, and as Director General of Consular Affairs in the Austrian Foreign Ministry. Franz Cede, former Austrian ambassador to Russia as well as to Belgium and NATO, also worked as Director of the International Law Office of the Austrian Foreign Ministry and legal adviser to the Austrian Government.
Further stops of their "book tour" included Georgetown University in DC, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Center Austria at the University of New Orleans.
