...Gone is the era when military force was the sole compass in a state’s quest for dominance. The Cold War world order has been lost. What has taken its place is a collision of two opposing forces both competing to materialize as the new, dominant world order. There exists now an overarching battle between the assimilating force of globalization and the emphatic differentiation of cultural identity as a reaction. This structural dissonance in global relations has elevated inherently tense inter-state relationships and cleared a path for the rise of cultural nations within and across states seeking to solidify their distinctiveness and secure a role in the order of the new world. As the United States emerged victorious from the bipolarity of the Cold War era, so came her establishment as the hegemonic state of the world. This triumph of western liberalism symbolized what Francis Fukuyama deemed “the end of history” - the end of conflicting ideologies among the states which would lead to a world of perpetual peace. Fukuyama’s thesis is based on the Renaissance and Reformation of Europe and the Enlightenment experienced by North America and Europe (Packer. 2012.) Essentially, he argues that the progression of human history as a struggle between ideologies ends after the Cold War era; that the entire world will come to accept liberal democracy as the most desirable world order. The major fault in his theory, of course, lies in the simple fact that the Renaissance, Reformation...
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...Essay #1 from the end of the cold war to a new global era The Cold War was a conflict between the two Superpowers of the USA and the USSR. Even though there was no direct military action between the two countries, the 'war' greatly changed the political scene of Europe and the rest of the world, This conflict resulted in turn to start a new global era where the global economy. Between 1969 to 1978 both the powers realized that such a situation could not establish peace in the world. During this period, there was a marked decline in the cold war so Many factors have contributed in ending the cold war such as Both the blocs realized that there would be no winner in a nuclear war, The break up between Russia and China further destroyed the fear of the spread of Communism, The collapse of the U.S.S.R. has further facilitated the end of the cold war after December 1991, The efforts of the former U.S. President George Bush (senior) and the former Soviet President Gorbachev proposed reduction in armaments in 1991, The rigid military alliances also showed signs of breaking down. France withdraws her troops from NATO, Pakistan went out of SEATO and In 1992 President Bush (senior) and the Russian President Boris Yeltsin formally announced that the cold war was over. In conclusion the end of the cold war led to the emergence of a unipolar world, also includes many high and low points for the two superpowers and the world as a whole, the Soviet economy faced the continuously escalating...
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..."Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Communist party?" Many citizens of the U.S. were seen as potential traitors were asked the asked this question, this was the reign of McCarthyism. According to Authentic History.com: " McCarthyism was the practice of investigating and accusing persons in positions of power or influence of disloyalty, subversion (working secretly to undermine or overthrow the government), or treason. Reckless accusations that the government was full of communists were pursued by Republican-led committees with subpoena power and without proper regard for evidence." ( Michael Barnes). In the making of the McCarthy era the Cold War had a major role in this historical event based on the fear that was expanded,...
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...------------------------------------------------- THE NEW WORLD ORDER Terms by George Bush Senior Can be generally divided into three stages of transformation: * From the end of the Cold War until 9/11 * From 9/11 until the Global Financial Crisis * From the GFC to present day ------------------------------------------------- From the Cold War until 9/11 * Period from 1989 until 2011 * After a stagnant period, the 1990s turned into a decade of economic growth * Globalization saw a technological revolution * Number of states increased at the UN 1989: End of power politics * End of Bipolarity – The Cold War was marked as an era of bipolarity in which the US-inspired capitalist system ‘played off’ against the Soviet-inspired ‘state socialism’. * NATO vs WARSAW PACT; US dollar system played off by COMECON * Move towards Perestroika effectively killed off competition – leading to a reduction of ideological contestation End of Ideology/ Victory of Capitalism? * Belief that capitalism ‘triumphed’ over socialism – greater expansion of capitalist norms. * TINA syndrome. With the exception of a few ‘rogue’ states, most have realized its best to ‘play’ the game and embraced market values. * Led to: * 1. The ‘Retreat of the State’ argument * 2. The ‘End of History thesis’ Post-Cold War Triumphantism * Led to the liberalization moves in the 1990s and the renewal of International Organizations * Increase in collective forms of Security ...
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...Americans. When America emerged from the second world war, shining and victorious, enjoying the most prosperous post war period ever, Europe was a country ravaged by war and looking for strong leadership and aid of any sort, providing a climate ripe for revolution. Americans took as truth the notion that the USSR, if they had enough weapons and men, would try to conquer the US or replace them as world leader. Propaganda posters painted communists in an unflattering light, as monsters among men, furthering America’s desire to put down the threat communism had to America. McCarthyism magnified the paranoia felt during this era. The extremely high costs of military expenditure and the military ventures around the globe from Korea, through Indochina to the Grenadines is one negative aspect of the era of containment. These conflicts cost millions of lives and in the two major conflicts of Korea and Vietnam you could argue that the US gained a draw and a loss. The policy of containment kept a cold war from becoming a hot war, in that if war ensued, it would be a frenzied bloodbath as both sides were well armed and passionately believing in their practices, and that nuclear weapons would be involved. War was kept from brewing over the edge, and was put off until Gorbachev came into power. The policy of containment also forced communist countries to spend heavily on defense, which eventually wrecked them economically. The Cold War itself was a massive economic waste, two nations...
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...As the first atomic bomb dropped over Hiroshima on the 6th August 1945, 100 000 Japanese civilians lost their lives in a single blinding flash. In that moment, the world entered a new era. Morality was compromised, human lives lost their value and entire social paradigms were shifted to accommodate the irrationality and gross inhumanity that was prevalent in World War II. In response to the shifting values of the post-WWII period, Cold War literature is characterized by an intensified questioning of the nature of humanity, human beliefs and values and is imbued with a sense of uncertainty and anxiety. Joseph Heller’s 1961 satirical war novel, Catch-22 and Samuel Beckett’s 1956 absurdist play Waiting for Godot all encapsulate the post-war zeitgeist...
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...the Cold War? The forty-five years from the dropping of the atom bombs to the end of the Soviet Union, can be seen as the era of the new conflict between two major states: United States of America (USA) and Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). According to Hobsbawm, ‘cold war’ was the constant confrontation of the two super powers which emerged from the Second World War. At that time the entire generation was under constant fear of global nuclear battles. It was widely believed that it could break out at any moment. (Hobsbawm, 1994) The consequences of the ‘power vacuum’ in central Europe, created by the defeat of Germany, gave rise to these two super powers (Dunbabin, 1994). The world was divided into two parts. The USSR controlled the zone occupied by her Red Army or other communist armed forces. On the other hand, USA exercised control and dominance over the rest of the capitalist world as well as the western hemisphere and the oceans. (Hobsbawm, 1994) It is rather very difficult to argue that a particular country like the USA has won the cold war completely. Cold war gave birth to lots of problems in the world. During the cold war period, various events occurred subsequently. So the whole period was a combination of different issues and various factors related to it. Yet, evaluating the climax and the aftermath situation of the cold war, it can be argued that USA and its allies have succeeded to a great extent. On the other hand, as a consequence of the cold war...
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...The Cold War and Korean War The outcome of a war is not decided by the number of men one’s army has, but the powers driving the plan to success. The Cold War and Korean War are a perfect example of a war that is not decided by either. Sometimes, it is not the intentions that matter, but the execution of the plan. This war exemplified the term ‘stalemate’ as neither side won. This war resulted in millions of casualties, but none of them helped the cause of either side. Although one’s intentions may be civil, the outcome of a war does not necessarily go according to plan as proven by the consequences faced by the events of the Cold War and its subsequent Korean War. The Cold war was a running problem between the Soviet Union and the USA, which...
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...Assignment The Cold War By: Deborah Rodriguez While doing these interviews, I was very amazed at the amount of information I received. I interviewed my friend who was in the marines for about 6 years. He knew many things also, since he just studied about the Cold War in school. It helped him to elaborate more on his answers. I next interviewed my father which was very interesting. My father is very into the military and that is all he watches. The first question I asked him turned into an eleven minute conversation. Lastly, I interviewed my sister who is not fond about that era at all. In fact, she refused to give me the interview, but I made her. Before I get into the interviews, I want to give a brief look at the history of the Cold War. The atomic bombing of Japan by the United States ended World War II, but it marked the beginning of an intense rivalry between the two new superpowers, the U.S. and the Soviet Union. So began the Cold War, an ideological and political conflict lasting nearly 50 years. The competition spawned great developments in among other things, military technology, civil defense, and space exploration. The Apollo II landing marked a major political and scientific victory for the United States in the Cold War. The U.S. and Soviet Union continued having various conflicts until the Soviet Union’s breakup in 1991 ending the Cold War. My friend I interviewed said that the words that came to his mind when he thought of the Cold War was Soviet...
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...Assignment 1 - The Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy SHAMIKA WARD EMMANUEL OBUAH POL 300: Contemp Intl Problems May 31, 2013 The Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy The Reagan Doctrine was the foreign policy in the United States, enacted by President Ronald Reagan. The doctrine was design to eradicate the communist governments in Africa, Asia, and Latin America that were authorized and corroborated by the Soviet Union. This assignment will review by what method the United States delivered open and private backing to guerrilla and resistance movements during the Regan years. Additionally, explain the political doctrine detailed events that occurred in Afghanistan when the Soviet Union invaded. As a final point, this assignment will define the benefits and drawbacks established on the Regan Doctrine. Summarize the Situation of U.S. Diplomatic of the Regan Doctrine During the course of the initial years of the Cold War, Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter all endorsed dogmas against communism in order to enclose it. Ronald Regan prohibited their détente policy in 1979, when the Soviet Union attacked Afghanistan. This alone demonstrated that policies that only contain communism were unproductive. Regan criticized in the compromise policy when it emanated to any communist government. As an alternative, Reagan proposed the Rollback policy. The creation of the Reagan Doctrine moved from containment and dispersal to eradicating all current communist governments. Likewise...
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...created during the Cold War to stop the spread of Soviet influence, and communist rule. Examples of this doctrine are the war in Vietnam, Korea, Iran, and other countries where democracy seeking countries were looking for U.S support over communist governments. Although containment was heavily influenced within the U.S foreign relations principles, there are a few examples where U.S policy was not guided by Cold War thinking. The first example comes from negotiations between the U.S and Russia, called...
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...The Cold War Era The Cold War Era was the longest war ever fought. It lasted from September 1945 to December 1991. This war was fought by the Communist nations led by the Soviet Union and the democratic United States. The ideological aspect of this war was the opposing sides between the two. In the U.S. the governments have open free elections the right of speech, press and assembly is also part of the democratic rights by the U.S, government. Then in the Soviet Union, the government is formed by the Communist party. These people do not have the right to form their own political parties. The Economic issues were, the United Stated wanted open free trade. The Soviet Union wanted to refrain from international trade. They were afraid of the Western influence. The cold war fears by the American people were that maybe communism would expand since the Soviet Union was now Communist, and apparently it did, Joseph Stalin didn’t give the other free countries free election as he had agreed to and instead he turned them all into communist countries. The American people were in fear that maybe communism would expand through the world and so they came up with the domino theory and president Truman came up with the Truman doctrine to help Greece and Turkey by giving them aid so they wouldn’t fall to communism. Later on the Marshall plan which gave aid to the allies and countries in need of it passed. In order for communism to be contained, in 1949 the Soviet Union made their first...
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...triggered a domino effect on the Southeast Asian market. The result of which was Southeast Asian recession. Recession in Southeast Asia caused rise in prices of commodities all over the world. Friedman’s description of the events in the opening scene is an example of this complex interconnected system called globalization. According to Friedman, globalization is a process that much of the world is going through now and is the sum total economic interests of everybody in the world. This complex system has broad dynamics that deal with finances, technology and intercommunication. The beginning of this era of globalization started with the fall of Berlin wall in 1989 indicating the end of cold war era. The Cold War system was a stationary system whereas globalization is a dynamic process. The world today is very fast paced and the velocity keeps on increasing rapidly. Unlike the Cold War system globalization has integrated the markets breaking out of cultural barriers and national borders. “I define globalization this way: it is the inexorable integration of markets, nation-states and technologies to a degree never witnessed before in a way that is enabling individuals, corporations and nation-states to reach around the farther, faster, deeper and cheaper than ever before, and in a way that is enabling the world to reach into individuals, corporations and nation-states farther, faster, deeper, cheaper than ever before.” (Friedman, 2012). At the center of such an extensive definition...
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...Cold War Ideology and Policies Robert Quesada Axia College University of Phoenix HIS/212 July 11, 2010 After World War II, the two new super powers were the United States and the Soviet Union, both becoming mortal enemies. This power was not so equal though, as the United States had a booming economy and much of the Soviet Union lay in ruins. It was evident that the United States and the Soviet Union were in a struggle for power, which became known as the Cold War. The United States held control of the oil fields in the Middle East, along with the French and British, making a strong presence in the Middle East. With all this tension between the U.S. and the Soviet Union the cold war was in full escalation. Stalin’s announcement that the Soviet Union would take all measure to preserve its national security and that a war was inevitable. He also announced a five year plan for economic development. The Americans took this as a threat and said his speech was a warlike pronouncement. President Truman stated “he was tired of babying the Soviets”. It was determined that the Soviets were a threat to not only the United States, but many European countries. This prompted a plan to apply diplomatic, economic, military counter pressure and blocking rising aggression. After a sever winter in Europe and the post war depression, Great Britain decided it could no longer support Greece and Turkey. Without this aid these two countries could fall victim to the Soviets. President...
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...Ronald Reagan - The Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy POL30048GA050-1118-001 IR: The New World of International Relations October 24, 2011 Abstract In this assignment, I will write a three to five page paper on President Ronald Reagan doctrine of The Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy during his presidency. In addition, this paper will address the following: 1. Summarize a situation that required U.S. diplomatic efforts during the president’s time in office. 2. Explicate the diplomatic doctrine the president followed, with reference to specific actions or events that occurred. 3. Describe the effects of these diplomatic efforts for the U.S. and other countries. 4. Assess, in conclusion, the advantages and disadvantages of the particular doctrine that was followed. Ronald Reagan - The Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy In this assignment, I will discuss President Ronald Reagan’s position on The Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy during his presidency. First, let me define the terms “The Cold War”, and “U.S. Diplomacy”. The Cold War was a period of military and political tension between the United States and the Soviet Union after World War II. It was called the Cold War, because there was no direct fighting between the two powers. The term “U.S. Diplomacy” refers to a country’s ability or skill to negotiate on the international level between nations or groups of nations, or simply, it is political contact between national governments. Diplomacy is extremely important. It is the feedback...
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