Chapter 6 propose the CoE pursues a more proactive, judicious, rapprochement with areas of conflict in Europe in line with the object and purpose of the organisation. This rapprochement requires political will, but can be substantially shaped by and based on the vision and associated initiatives of the Secretary General. It seeks to reflect on several legal, political or operational activities might contribute to satisfying the ordre public imperative described in Chapter 3. The objective is to begin to identify practical initiatives which could be pursued in accordance with the Statute to enable progress in a fully impartial, standards-based manner.

The chapter examines Churchill’s role on the international stage and his summit diplomacy with Roosevelt and Stalin. Faced with the surprise collapse of France in 1940, he was forced to seek new partners, assiduously courting the United States while seizing the opportunity of an alliance with the Soviet Union. The result was that he had to juggle the conflicting demands of Roosevelt and Stalin, embarking on strenuous personal diplomacy in the face of declining British influence. The chapter reviews the key decisions of the major meetings before looking at their postwar legacy in Churchill’s attempts to advance European reconciliation and his ultimately unsuccessful bid to resume summitry with the Soviet Union.