Module 3
Topic 1: Post- Cold War Era
The post-cold war era began immediately after the collapse of the Soviet
Union and ended in September 2001. This post-cold war era has witnessed a
number of developments both positive & negative. Soviet Union was
disintegrated which led to the establishment of a commonwealth of
independent nations. The Berlin wall stood buried & Germany became a
unified single state. The days of geo-political contest between capitalists and
communist ideologies were over. Governments were willing to work together
through the United Nations & other Multilateral Channels to resolve
international conflicts. The USA became the sole surviving superpower &
started to play a dominant role in world politics. International economic
relations and globalizations came to be a dominant feature of international
relations.
Most important developments that have taken place in the post-cold
war may be listed as follows
• Soviet Union & the Post-cold war,
• USA & the post-cold war,
• Growing power of the Economic Union
• Growing International terrorism
• The Issue of Nuclear Proliferation,
• Stronger role of the United Nations
• Role of the Non-State Actors
• Emergence of China as a Major power
• Changing role of the NAM
• Globalization
Soviet Union & the Post War: Cold
The disintegration of the Soviet Union paved the way for the
establishment of a Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) i.e. an
association of 9 independent republics of erstwhile USSR. In the place of
former Soviet Union, Russia emerged as the successor state. The domestic
political uncertainty and economic dependence upon the US & other western
countries kept Russia weak. The Warsaw pact had a natural end.
USA & the Post Cold War
After the disintegration of the USSR, USA became the sole superpower.
It began to dominate the international system in general & Security Council
in particular. The absence of any power capable of challenging the US power
enabled it to play a dominant role in world politics. Thus, uni-polarity came
to characterize the international system.
Growing power of the Economic Union
Another significant development in the post-cold war era is the growing
political and economic power of the European Union. The expansion of
European Union membership to new states has marked a rise in the collective
economic influence of Europe as a whole. Many claimed that the 21st century
would be the century of Europe Even though many members had joined the
European Union but its independent diplomatic initiatives failed in the Middle
East.
Growing International Terrorism
The last decade of 20th century experienced the emergence of
international terrorism in a big way. Various forms of terrorism like Cross-
border terrorism, religious terrorism, Fundamentalist terrorism, Narco-
terrorism, Jihadi terrorism occurred in the different parts of the world.
Several terrorist groups were highly organized, actively using the weapons of
terror for securing their goals. This hazard which posed serious challenges in
preserving peace & security in the international society.
The Issue of Nuclear Proliferation
The post-cold war era has not reduced the threat of nuclear weapons.
No agreement has been reached between the nuclear states & non-nuclear
states with regard to the total elimination of nuclear weapons. The nuclear
powers are not ready to give up their nuclear statuses. This kind of danger
has become significant in the post-cold war era.
Stronger Role of the United Nations
The post-cold war era has witnessed a stronger role of the United
Nations in international relations. It played an important role in ending the
Gulf crisis resulting from the occupation Kuwait by Iraq. It was successful in
bringing peace to war broken Cambodia and Afghanistan. It has succeeded in
bringing peace in the Balkans by getting resolved the ethnic war between
Muslim Serbs and Croats of the Former Yugoslavia. All states have now
realized the importance of United Nations & its potential as a global agency
for peace & security.
Role of the Non-State groups
Another important trend in the post-cold war era has been the
emergence of several powerful non-state actors like NGOs, MNCs, Human
Rights Groups, etc. These groups often engage in actions which transcend
national groups, bridging nation states in economic, social, political &
cultural matters. These have been playing a key role in increasing the speed
of global inter dependence.
Emergence of China as a Major power
A series of war against Afghanistan, Iraq and one after another by the
US against Al Qaeda, Taliban, Saddam Husain& others deeply damaged the
image of US in the international community. It caused tension among many
NATO allies and international public opinion went against the US. Due to
these wars the prosperous economy of the US has badly affected in a big way.
China’s economy is growing faster than the US economy. Now, China is
playing the role of global moneylender. China is emerging as a new
superpower. Thus US declined politically, economically and militarily.
Changing Role of the NAM
NAM was relevant in the cold war politics. Many critics were of the
opinion that the NAM has become irrelevant after the end of the cold war.
However, the advocates of NAM holds that it is still relevant even in the post-
cold war as it is in favour of protection of environment, end of protectionism
& exploitation in international trade, disarmament and arms control,
protection of human rights of all races and peoples, elimination of nuclear
weapons, ending of racial discriminations & all sorts of inequalities in
contemporary international relations.
Globalization
Globalization means integrating the economy of a country with world
economy. It is act as a means both for real economic, political and cultural
transformation of the world into a global village as well as for securing the
objective of sustainable development. However, the critics of globalization hold
that it is really a corporate agenda for dominating international business and
economy.