Question

Explain the review of post-Cold War events based on the following points.

A) The rise of new nations

B) The rise of unipolarity

C) Human rights and humanitarian intervention

D) Terrorism

E) Multipolarity and regionalism

Answer 1

The developments in the post-cold war period can be analyzed through five major consequences:

A) The rise of new nations: The East European revolution of 1989, led to the assertion of ethnic nationalism based on the right to self determination. It was an expression of the middle class for freedom and economic well being as well as for autonomy and eventually for independence. Many new States were created based on ethnic identity for e.g., Yugoslavia split into States like Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina, etc. Similarly, 15 new States were created after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

B) The rise of unipolarity: In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait. The USA led a multinational force to free Kuwait from Iraqi control. The US President, George H. Bush had described this victory as ‘New World Order’ as the multinational support to the USA came from NATO, Israel, Soviet Union, China and many Arab countries. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the world became unipolar and the New World Order implied US dominance and leadership in matters of global security. They had political and economic dimensions. The US employed the “Soft Power” method i.e., without the use of coercion or military force but through socio-cultural and economic influence.

C) Human rights and humanitarian intervention: There have been many instances of ethnic conflicts and bloodshed in the creation of new States particularly in Bosnia, East Timor, Somalia, Cambodia, etc. The UN Peacekeeping Force has intervened in a number of conflict situations to bring about the peaceful resolution of the conflict as well as to maintain peace and protect human rights. Humanitarian intervention refers to increasing awareness about the significance of human rights and the need for their protection.

D) Terrorism: Terrorism is defined as the use of violence, or the threat to use violence with an intention to create panic in society, in the pursuit of political/religious/ideological goals. Terrorist groups indulge in hijackings, bombings, etc., and are usually associated with separatist movements. Modern-day terrorist operations are global in nature. Some instances of terrorist attacks post-1991 include Al-Qaeda attacks on 11th September 2001 in Washington D.C, Bali (2002), Mumbai (2008), etc.

E) Multipolarity and regionalism: In the post cold war era, the USA emerged as the only superpower. However, in recent times, the dominant position of the USA has been challenged due to the rise of Asian nations like China, Japan and India's creation of the European Union; the military resurgence of Russia and the growing importance of regional organisations like SAARC, etc. Regionalism refers to the creation of regional organisations based on geographical proximity or on common ideological, political, economic concerns in areas like communication, health, energy, education, etc. In the 1960s organisations like ASEAN focused on economic issues.