Alva Myrdal (1902–1986) remains one of the most well-known and respected Swedish personalities in international affairs. As Sweden’s ambassador to India in the mid-1950s she acquired at an early time deep insights in international development issues. During the following two decades she was intensely involved in nuclear disarmament and arms control matters, both as ambassador and member of the Swedish Cabinet.

She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1982. Her momentous book "The Game of Disarmament" is still required reading for anyone interested in the field.

In the spring of 2002 an international academic conference at Uppsala University focused on the many sides of Alva Myrdal’s work. This volume brings together five accounts on her role in international affairs. Two build on personal experiences (Maj-Britt Theorin and Jan Prawitz), two on new documentation from archives (Sondra Herman and Stellan Andersson) while one is a general analysis of Myrdal’s approach to disarmament (Peter Wallensteen).

Together these contributions provide a testimony to a remarkable achievement in fields, until that time, largely closed to women.