CIAO DATE: 01/2009
November 2008
Danish Institute for International Studies
The Cold War ended but it seems to be here again
The title for this paper is ‘2009 - time for détente and disarmament'. It really should have read ‘high time for détente and disarmament' because the Cold War ended about twenty years ago and yet today it seems as if it were still here.
We hear of plans for new nuclear weapons, the development and testing of missiles and antimissiles, plans for a further expansion of NATO and a chill in the cooperation between EU and Russia as a consequence of the war in Georgia.
What has happened to the political climate?
From 1945, when WWII ended and for about 45 years East and West were engaged in an ideological struggle in which Moscow aspired to extend the Communist creed and power world wide. With US leadership the West successfully contained these aspirations - both militarily and ideologically. Eventually the ineffectiveness of the Communist economic system brought it down and the Soviet Empire collapsed. The world drew deep sighs of relief. The risk of ‘mutually assured destruction' (MAD) through a nuclear Armageddon was written off. People stopped marching against the global stocks of some 55.000 nuclear warheads.
We are now in 2008 - nearly 20 years after the end of the long Cold War.
Despite weaknesses that have been all to well demonstrated recently the market economy of various shades is recognized as the most effective economic model by practically all.
Resource link: "2009 – Time for detente and disarmament" [PDF] - 159K