Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi
Session: 2020-21
PAPER – PERSPECTIVES ON INTERNATIONATIONAL
RELATIONS AND WORLD HISTORY
Assignment
Topic – Features of Post Cold War World
Submitted by – Sameer
Course – B.A (Hons) Political Science
Year – Second
College Roll No. – 1917103
Section – A
Submitted to – Dr. Rupak Dattagupta
, INTRODUCTION
The end of the Cold War in the early 1990s has had a dual impact on international relations. On
the one hand, the Soviet military withdrawal from Eastern Europe and the Third World brought
an end to the Cold War, allowed democratization to proceed in many states previously ruled by
Marxist dictatorships, and led to significant progress in resolving several Third World conflicts
that had become prolonged during the Cold War. The reduction in East West tension also
resulted in a great decrease in inter-state conflicts, some of which occurred due to the
superpower ideological rivalry during the Cold War. Even it became fashionable to argue that
force, used here as military power, has run its course in international politics. And it is true that
defense budgets in many parts of the world radically decreased (See, for example, United States,
Government Accountability Office, 2008). This trend, despite very few contrary examples (for
instance China), appears to holding.
On the other hand, however, it would be rather unwise to argue that the world is now at
peace. The collapse of the “Soviet Empire” was followed by the emergence, or reemergence, of
many serious conflicts in several areas that had been relatively quiescent during the Cold War.
Some of these new conflicts have been taking place within the former Soviet Union, such as the
war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, and the fighting in Chechnya.
But some conflicts also erupted or intensified in several countries outside of it and many Third
World conflicts in which the superpowers were not deeply involved during the Cold War have
persisted after it, like the secessionist movements in India, Sri Lanka, and Sudan.
Ethno political conflicts aside, there have been other threats to international order that
are, indeed, beyond the full control of major powers, even the United States, the victor of the
Cold War. The most notable ones include religious militancy, terrorism, North-South conflict,
and severe competition over scarce resources. Thus, the end of the Cold War can be said to have
brought about both stability and instability to international relations. The purpose of this article is
to evaluate nearly two decades of the post-Cold War era in terms of the elements of stability and
instability. In this respect, the study will start with an overview of the general characteristics of
the international system. This will be followed by a more detailed discussion on basic trends and
new threats in international relations.
THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM AFTER THE COLD WAR
The general wish of the dominant powers in the post-Cold War era is to preserve the status quo
from which they mostly benefit. Hence, international cooperation evidently increased among
major powers, as exemplified by the increase of peace operations. To be more specific, while
from 1948 to 1978, only a total of 13 peacekeeping forces were set up, and in the following ten-
year period, no new forces were established, from May 1988 to October 1993, a further twenty
forces were created. As of December 2008, the number of UN peacekeeping operations has
reached 63, 18 of which are still operating in the field, involving 112660 military personnel and
civilian police.
The decreasing ideological clashes between the United States and Russia manifested
itself most clearly in the decline of the veto at the Security Council. From 1945 to 1990, the
Session: 2020-21
PAPER – PERSPECTIVES ON INTERNATIONATIONAL
RELATIONS AND WORLD HISTORY
Assignment
Topic – Features of Post Cold War World
Submitted by – Sameer
Course – B.A (Hons) Political Science
Year – Second
College Roll No. – 1917103
Section – A
Submitted to – Dr. Rupak Dattagupta
, INTRODUCTION
The end of the Cold War in the early 1990s has had a dual impact on international relations. On
the one hand, the Soviet military withdrawal from Eastern Europe and the Third World brought
an end to the Cold War, allowed democratization to proceed in many states previously ruled by
Marxist dictatorships, and led to significant progress in resolving several Third World conflicts
that had become prolonged during the Cold War. The reduction in East West tension also
resulted in a great decrease in inter-state conflicts, some of which occurred due to the
superpower ideological rivalry during the Cold War. Even it became fashionable to argue that
force, used here as military power, has run its course in international politics. And it is true that
defense budgets in many parts of the world radically decreased (See, for example, United States,
Government Accountability Office, 2008). This trend, despite very few contrary examples (for
instance China), appears to holding.
On the other hand, however, it would be rather unwise to argue that the world is now at
peace. The collapse of the “Soviet Empire” was followed by the emergence, or reemergence, of
many serious conflicts in several areas that had been relatively quiescent during the Cold War.
Some of these new conflicts have been taking place within the former Soviet Union, such as the
war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, and the fighting in Chechnya.
But some conflicts also erupted or intensified in several countries outside of it and many Third
World conflicts in which the superpowers were not deeply involved during the Cold War have
persisted after it, like the secessionist movements in India, Sri Lanka, and Sudan.
Ethno political conflicts aside, there have been other threats to international order that
are, indeed, beyond the full control of major powers, even the United States, the victor of the
Cold War. The most notable ones include religious militancy, terrorism, North-South conflict,
and severe competition over scarce resources. Thus, the end of the Cold War can be said to have
brought about both stability and instability to international relations. The purpose of this article is
to evaluate nearly two decades of the post-Cold War era in terms of the elements of stability and
instability. In this respect, the study will start with an overview of the general characteristics of
the international system. This will be followed by a more detailed discussion on basic trends and
new threats in international relations.
THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM AFTER THE COLD WAR
The general wish of the dominant powers in the post-Cold War era is to preserve the status quo
from which they mostly benefit. Hence, international cooperation evidently increased among
major powers, as exemplified by the increase of peace operations. To be more specific, while
from 1948 to 1978, only a total of 13 peacekeeping forces were set up, and in the following ten-
year period, no new forces were established, from May 1988 to October 1993, a further twenty
forces were created. As of December 2008, the number of UN peacekeeping operations has
reached 63, 18 of which are still operating in the field, involving 112660 military personnel and
civilian police.
The decreasing ideological clashes between the United States and Russia manifested
itself most clearly in the decline of the veto at the Security Council. From 1945 to 1990, the
