Changes in the Nature of War and Diplomacy after 1989 - Essay Example

? Changes in the Nature of War and Diplomacy after 1989: An International Relations Perspective Background The Second World War ended with an alliance between the Soviet Union, USA, Britain, France and China. In terms of ideologies, the Chinese and the Soviets supported a Communist system of totalitarian state controlled governance whilst the Americans, British and French supported a Capitalist system where individuals had the right to control wealth. This led to the carving out of the world into two: the Sino-Soviet East and the Anglo-American led West. Although the United States was the first country to create and use atomic bombs in the Second World War, other nations like the Soviet Union developed their own atomic bombs. In the first decade after the Second World War ended, Britain had also joined the group of nations with atomic bombs. These atomic bombs were further developed into nuclear bombs and France and China also acquired theirs. In the 1960s, a trend known as Atomic Diplomacy took centre-stage because the Soviets and the Americans had these weapons (Watson, 1989). However, the extent of damage that the weapons could cause for civilians in both countries. The need for deterrence prompted diplomacy for these two nations. One significant thing that came up after the Second World War was the formation of the United Nations which became a machinery for the rapid decolonisation of nations around the world (Robbins, 2010). The United Nations declared that it was illegal for nations to be ruled by foreign powers and this led to the collapse of the British and French colonial empires. This was followed by the Portuguese who lost their foreign territories by the end of the 1970s. Most of the new nations that were borne out of the rapid decolonisation exercise were underdeveloped nations in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Most of them did not have the capacity and structures to build modern nations. Hence, they needed to rely on more advanced and developed countries. This prompted the main powers of the world, USA and the Soviet Union who were leading the two global blocs to compete for influence in different parts of the newly decolonised world. This competition between the East and the West played on divisions between the new nations and this led to many wars. The first war was the Korean War fought right after the Second World War in the early 1950s. It led to the division of Korea into two parts, a Communist state in the north and a Capitalist state in the south. Other conflicts raged on in Vietnam and other countries where there were divisions on the lines of the dominant global ideological trends and patterns. There were internal struggles and coup d'etats that were influenced by these dominant powers. These were proxy wars that were fought by the chief proponents of these ideologies through their agents in foreign nations. This trend ended until the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and fought a deadly and expensive war with Muslim militants who were backed by the West. This war effectively ended in 1989 and led to the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union. The end of the war marked a significant change in patterns and trends in war around the world. Aims and Objectives This paper seeks to identify how the nature of war has changed since 1989. The essay would examine the important changes that have occurred in the conduct of war from the perspective of international relations. In doing this, the paper would explore the following objectives: 1. An examination of important changes in international relations and global order since 1989 2. Influence of the changes in international relations and global order after 1989 on wars. 3. Analysis of theories that define the current global order and its impacts on wars. 4. Evaluation of new trends in global order: Terrorism, Islamic Militancy & Internal Strives Changes in Global Order after 1989 In 1989, the Berlin Wall which acted as the symbol of the Iron Curtain which separated the Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe from Western Europe. The unification of Germany laid the foundation for the declaration of independence in many Eastern European nations between 1989 and 1991. The collapse of the Soviet Union led to a unipolar global order which was to shape international relations and regulate international matters (Young and Kent, 2004). The United States got the power to control different affairs around the world. According to Telo, “... the two international systems of the modern world – balance of power system and the bipolar system – as well as the open transition phase that followed the bipolar world enhanced globalisation” (2009: 43). In other words, the absence of the tensions and conflict between the Communists and Capitalists led to the creation of a global order free of conflict and the creation of a system that was aimed at important pointers that enhanced global integration. According to Telo, globalization under an American-led Western authority led to the implementation of the original vision of the United Nations which was to promote human rights and improvement of the quality of lives of people. The unipolar system of governance allowed the US to implement its plans for the world which included the removal of trade barriers, promotion of the free market and the supervision of global financial matters. This was done through global bodies like the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs or World Trade Organisation. In the new global order after 1989, war was regulated significantly through the central global systems and structures (Keohane et al, 1993). Globalisation led to then promotion of democracy under the impetus of the United States. This led to creation multiparty democracies in the developing world. After 1989, most nations were to get governments through elections and not violence. The international community also took an active role in recognizing democratically elected governments. Due to this, the international community chose not to recognize governments that were not elected through an appropriate means. Wars against democratically elected governments were encouraged and the international community created systems of sanctioning illegitimate governments and intervening in situations where there was the need to do so. Armed groups that are identified to be illegal in their operations are sanctioned and governments are banned from providing them with weapons (Keohane et al, 1993). Dominant Theories in International Relations & Diplomacy Post-1989 These changes had an impact on armed conflicts and wars. They can be viewed and examined in terms of international relations theories and concepts. This section of the paper would assess such ideas. There are two elements of idealism which define trends that are relevant to this discussion. The first is that the pre-1989 interaction which led to the bipolar global order was influenced by idealism. The Capitalists and the Communists had ideal views of how things could be ran and how things should be done (Weber, 2006). Stalin believed Communism would create a perfect world where life was in the right order whilst the Americans also believed in demand and supply. It is the conviction and belief that these systems were ideal. This egoistic system led to the arms race and the problems that came with them. Secondly, Idealism in the post-1989 changed significantly. The West which emerged as winners sought to enhance democracy, rule of law and the protection of human rights in the developing world which was subjected to numerous wars and conflicts in the previous era. This idealism has sought to reform the world and eliminate wars. However, it can be identified to be the cause of some wars in the developing world. Clearly, the promotion of democracy has been problematic for some nations. Some countries like Congo has fallen into crises because they have had democratically elected governments who have not been able to run the country efficiently. Due to this, there is a major problem and issues with the way the new global order sought to protect people and promote human rights in a realistic manner. Realism on the other hand challenges idealism (Walsh, 2006). The 1989 collapse of the Soviet Union can be said to be a case of realism. This because the creation of the Soviet bloc and the extension of Soviet Union into Eastern Europe was clearly an idealistic thing. The nations were forced to become part of a bloc. However, nations always have to decide on things independently under realism. This has led to the initiation of wars in areas and aspects like wars for self determination and independence. Realism has also supported the view that states need to survive. In doing this, states have to build military capabilities and use these systems and structures to protect and defend themselves. This is what has led to tensions and issues in the post-1989 period. Social constructivism agrees that people from different groups must come together to resolve global matters and problems. This theory of international relations suggests that all people must be allowed to interact in a global order. The main area of contention is the refusal of rights to some people in some nations. For instance in a nation like Iraq, Kurds are banned from carrying out their activities. In Spain, the Basque people are refused rights. And this led to various wars meant to challenge the authority. Such a position taken by the dominant powers in nations leads to struggles and wars that represent a vast majority of wars after 1989. Trends in War after 1989 Most wars fought after 1989 can be grouped under five main categories. This include the following: 1. Genocide: An attempt to systematically kill people of a given social class or group. An example is Rwanda where Hutus and Tutsis killed each other. 2. Religious violence and sectarianism: This refers to violence and wars that are launched on the grounds of religious differences. Examples of such wars in the past two decades are Lebanon, India and Iraq. 3. International invasion and cross-border violence: An example is the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1991. 4. Self Determination: This is where a group of people with distinct features seek to break away from an other nation. An example of such wars is the case of Sri Lanka, South Sudan and East Timor. 5. Rebel and Guerilla efforts: Where a group of people with different views about governance seek to overthrow a given government. Examples include Liberia, South Africa and Colombia. These wars have several reflections and views in international relations and international affairs. They can be explained in relation to the changes in international matters which are different from the Cold War systems where most conflicts on the globe had connections with the Cold War. Genocides were related to internal strives and differences that were enhanced by international idealism which fueled the divisions. These issues were relived in the 1990s and led to some wars which can be traced directly to the Cold War.For instance, in the case of Zimbabwe, there was a clear favouritism that was meted out by the British colonialists to people from the Ndebele tribe. These Ndebeles were educated and used to administer the colony. However, the majority groups like the Shona were suppressed. After independence, the Shonas linked up with Marxist thinkers to wage war and control the nation. The country has seen some tensions because of these seeds of hatred that were sown by colonialism. Another example is the case of Rwanda. The Hutus and the Tutsis had issues with the colonial powers. After independence, one of the tribes had more power and authority and the need to depose the dominant tribe. The tensions led to linkages to the key players in the two international blocs and this set the stage for genocide after the war. Social constructivism refers to a system whereby international relations is influenced by the interaction of different groups and entities (Walsh, 2006). Social constructivism is supported by the fact that different people have different views about things. This led to tensions and problems which culminated in religious and sectarian violence in some cases. This is because most of the post-1990 armed conflicts have been fueled by different ethnic and sectarian groups outside the borders of one country to cause war and mayhem in another country. A textbook example is the case of Lebanon which came under serious military disruption because of the military activities of different groups in the country. Shiite groups like Hezbollah got support from nations like Iran and the Sunni groups got support from Sunni nations like Saudi Arabia. The Christians in Lebanon got the help of Israel and this led to the supply of arms from these sources outside the nation. In spite of blockades and other embargoes, the sovereign nations that supported these individual groups provided support to help their representatives in the respective nations. Realism argues for nations to seek their interests at all positions. Realism also argues that the global order is full of anarchy and nations have to do what they have to do to survive. Hence, nations would have to seek their interest. After 1989, some nations have taken up actions that are in sync with realism. Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1991 because they claimed that Kuwait was part of their nation and was illegally cut off by the British colonialists. The US-led Coalition force invaded Iraq and Kuwait was freed. So realism and the need for nations to seek their best interest can be said to be a motivation for wars. In 2001, the United States invaded Afghanistan because Afghanistan was alleged to be a place for the training of terrorists against the US and its allies. This was a realism position that they took. And it was justified by their need to protect their borders. In other situations, the quest for self-determination, which is supported by the United Nations has led to various wars and armed conflicts. Most of these struggles are supported by the international community. However, under the theory of national sovereignty in international relations, nations have the right to suppress these requests for self determination. This has led to several wars in nations like South Sudan, Western Sahara and Mali. In such situations, the international community has to listen to facts and come up with the decision. In some of these decisions, key stakeholders could reject them and refuse to recognize certain states. War in The World After September 11, 2001 On September 11 2001, two planes hijacked by terrorists crushed into the World Trade Centre in New York. This led what became known as the War on Terrorism. In this effort, the US government led nations around the world to support the protection of the rights of nations to protect their citizens and properties from terrorist attacks. Within this timeframe, there was a massive rise in militant Islam activities. The effect was that security was increased in nation in the bid to prevent nations and communities from coming under attacks from militant groups. This form of terrorism stood against international relations in many ways. It became apparent that nation-state actors in international relations could not prevent terrorism alone. This is because terrorists were often ordinary people who got involved in the mass killing of people in the society through bombings and similar acts of violence. This means that there is the need for international cooperation and partnership to weed out terrorism and check crossborder flow of resources to terrorists. This led to a situation whereby the concept of social constructivism became important. This is because social constructivism supports the idea that different nations need to cooperate with others on through the best means and through an appropriate system. This is done through the creation of an appropriate atmosphere for the cooperation and the attainment of the best results. In effect, there is the rightful need for the use of the best techniques and tools. Also, nations sign different documents to support in preventing money laundering. The effect is that these documents make it imperative for nations to monitor the sources of funding of individuals and corporate entities. This is to ensure that money is not sent to terrorists which aims at rendering such groups and individuals invalid. Another area of serious contention and violence in nations relate to the issue of democracy and elections. There have been many situations whereby parties in nations dispute elections. The effect of these post-election violence is that it places an indictment on democratic processes and systems. The ultimate results is the issue of violence as it was the case in Cote D'Ivoire and Ukraine. These disputed elections often lead to violence and wars from time to time. Conclusion The East-West Divide in the Cold War led to a situation where the East and the West entered an arms race which led to a form of deterrence. Due to this deterrence, the nations in the various unions that defined the East and the West were not at risk of coming under attacks due to the fear of large-scale to war. In effect, the Cold War inspired wars in different parts of the developed world. Towards the 1980s, the tensions continued until militant Islam erupted with the Iranian Revolution and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan which was repelled by militant Islamic groups. The Afghan invasion eventually led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. The collapse of the Soviet Union led to a unipolar system of global governance. This saw the United States leading global affairs. The post-1989 period saw the democratisation of nations around the world. However, in some nations that were some kinds of armed struggles and wars which destabilised peace. The imposition of democracy on nations around the world can be described as a form of idealism. This lead to some adjustment problems which led to wars and other forms of violence. Realism also identifies that a nation needs to do what it has to do to survive. This has been the brain behind the invasion of some nations like Afghanistan by the United States. This can also be said to be the reason behind Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. Social constructivism supports different views. This leads to the justification of the support of ethnic minorities by nations that they have a presence in. This describes the war in Lebanon. In other situations, wars are fought on the basis of self determination and the need to honour national integrity. This is a grey area that cannot be easily dealt with. References Etzioni, A. (2004) From Empire to Community New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Kaplan, L. F. (2010) Global Warfare and Violence: Post 1991 London: SAGE Publications. Keohane, R. O, Nye, J. S. & Hoffman, S. C. (1993) After the Cold War: Internal Institutions and State Strategy Boston: Harvard University Press. Muravchik, J. (2009) “After the Fall: 1989, Twenty Years On” World Affairs Journal September 2009. Robbins, K. (2010) The World Since 1945 Oxford: Oxford University Press. Telo, M. (2009) International Relations: A European Perspective Surrey: Ashgate Publishing. Walsh, B. (2007) History of the Twentieth Century 1914 – 1989 Zurich: Compedio Bildungsmedien AG. Watson, J. (1989) World History After 1945 London: Jack Murray Publications Weber, C. (2006) International Relations Theory: A Critical Introduction London: Taylor and Francis. Wellington, J. (2011) The Trends in War after the Second World War New York: McGraw Hill. Young, J. W. and Kent, J. (2004) International Relations Since 1945: A Global History Oxford: Oxford University Press. Read More