Political Climate of the 1980's - Essay Example

Political Climate of the 1980s The defeat of the erstwhile Soviet Union in the Cold War that intensified at the turn of fortunes during the latter phase of World War II is not quite over, judging by the way global politics has shaped up in the new millennium. The verdict of the cold war was by no means comprehensive even when looked at in real terms whereby the Russian Federation of today retains nearly ninety per cent of the colossal land mass that made up the Soviet Union. But much more critical in this respect is the near complete retention of the armed forces that defended the Soviet Union in its heyday, by the Russian Federation.

And added to this is the utter discomfiture and helplessness of the west about the near intact if not more dangerous arsenal of the deadliest weapons of mass destruction still at the disposal of Russian Federation. It is wrong to assume that the arms race is over as both the United States and the Russian Federation goes on feverishly producing deadlier and more lethal weapons of mass destruction. The Russian Federation today is under the determined leadership of Vladimir Putin compared to the indisciplined and chaotic days in the aftermath of the Soviet Union, under Boris Yeltsin.

Russia today is far more stable and prosperous though much less democratic compared to the days of Yeltsin. Putin as a leader may be strong and determined but he also has a past that worries the west, his reputation of a ruthless KGB officer.It is however felt in many strategic circles that the west too has overlooked its responsibilities and recklessly went ahead with attempts to get the former Warsaw Pact members under the NATO ambit. The Russians have historically resented attempts by the western powers to penetrate their 'Slavic sphere of interest' in Eastern Europe and to this extent it could be said that the west for once could have been a little more measured in its approach.

This is true of the Baltic region where the Russians have been particularly petrified by the speed at which NATO progressed but during those days of Yeltsin it could do little but watch in despair.There was however nothing wrong with the western response to the crises in the Balkans where the Russians really had no ground to defend the actions of their Slav brethren in Bosnia Herzegovina. In fact it would have been tragic if the west had allowed the Serbians to have their way but that was not to be, as a determined and unrelenting NATO came down on the Serbs with all its might.

This not only averted a major tragedy but also settled the decades old Balkan problem with the emergence of smaller nations that remained subjugated under Serb-led Yugoslavia. The Russians under the inactive Boris Yeltsin seethed helplessly as the west went about reorganizing the Balkan mess right in their backyard.It needed the Russians just to look back in horror at the events that unfolded in quick succession to result in a popular and irresistible upsurge of humanity that led to the collapse of one Warsaw Pact dictatorship after another.

What began as a localized struggle under the leadership of Vaclav Havel (http://www.vaclavhavel.cz/) in Czechoslovakia and the protracted struggle for workers' rights by Lech Walesa (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,988170,00.htmlpromoid=googlep) in Poland became the storm center of a mass uprising that blew away the communist regimes of Eastern Europe from the Baltic to the Balkans. Eventually the Soviet Union itself disintegrated under the combined weight of these strategic defeats including the vital reversal in Afghanistan together with the farce of a command economy that had completely lost its way.

The new Russia now had trouble brewing in its very backyard in Muslim dominated Chechnya and Dagestan and did not wait to come down heavily on these dissenting regions that resulted in a tragedy of probably equal magnitude to that of Bosnia Herzegovina. Soon after Boris Yeltsin gave way to his handpicked successor Vladimir Putin the Russian establishment rallied behind their new leader who put things in perspective by stating that one of the top priorities of his administration would be the restoration of Russia's lost prestige.

There was no way this could be achieved without reviving the matrix of the cold war brinkmanship. References1. (http://www.vaclavhavel.cz/) This is Vaclav Havel's own website which comprehensively covers his life and career.2. (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,988170,00.htmlpromoid=googlep) This particular article covers the life and career of Lech Walesa quite precisely