Post-Cold War Era - Essay Example

One of the major political players in the post-Cold War era in Europe, a continent that was turned into an object during the Cold War due to the dominance that Russia and the infiltration that the United States. The post-Cold War era has however ushered a new Europe, which has ended its object status and is today ay considered as a major actor in international relations. The role of Britain and other European-friendly states in helping the United States strengthen its domination over the Soviet Union has been replaced by a lock that charts its course. With the formation of the European Union and the development of a single currency, Europe has stamped its authority in international relations, often differing from its Cold War-era partner, the United States.

China has also emerged as a major superpower due to its industrial and manufacturing strengths. Economic focus in the world has shifted from the United States as many countries today courting China to benefit from its great economy, available resources, and technological advancements. As the new center of attraction away from the United States, the strength of China can today be compared with the former Soviet as it struggles to rival the United States and de-Americanize the world. Exports from China have increased tremendously with companies and multinationals from the country serving different contracts across the world compared to the former world powers (Luundestad 216).

Apart from the emergence of new political centers in the world’s political landscape, issues of concern have also changed from arm building and wars to economic competition. Economic growth and the development of strong economic blocs like the European Union and the BRICS block have changed the political landscape in the world and resulted in a new political discourse. This explains the unease that the United States has developed over the current dominance that China is gaining especially in countries that formally did business with her.

Technological advancement and the development of new research methods have also created a new front for international competition, a new issue in the world political environment. Technological research through the development of new approaches in medicine, agriculture, and business has seen different countries compete at the multinational levels. Companies from different parts of the world compete with each other with the home backing of the governments demonstrating that these are the new battlefront in the new world order. Companies like Samsung from South Korea and Apple from the United States compete for customers spread across the world. The upheavals in the Arab Middle East have also provided a new front for the renewal of the rivalry between the East and the West as different countries adopt differing opinions over the same (Luundestad 216).