Deepening of International Peace Operations after the Cold War - Essay Example

The Oxford Companion to United s History 2001, originally published by Oxford Press 2001. (Hide copyright information) College: Tutor: Date: Explanation for the widening and deepening of international peace operations after the Cold War This article looks into the factors that seem to have replaced the ideological clashes of the Cold War as the principal sources of current widening and deepening of international peace operations. Most of these factors are related with, but not limited to, the desire to express cultural identity, discrimination, anti-democratic political system, economic underdevelopment and unjust distribution of national wealth, unresolved past traumas, as well as external support. During the cold war, major world powers entrusted the security of their nation to a balance of power among states. In this sense international stability relied on the premise that if state security is maintained, then the security of citizens will necessarily follow. Therefore international security relied on the anarchistic balance of power, a military build-up between the US and the Soviet Union which were the two superpowers, and on the absolute sovereignty of the nation-state. Security was seen as protection from invasion; executed during proxy conflicts using technical and military capabilities (Bajpai, 2000). When the Cold War came to an end in 1989 with the dismantling of the Berlin Wall, when the countries of Eastern Europe regained independence, and when finally the Soviet Union disintegrated, there was widespread feeling throughout the world that at long last universal peace had descended on Earth. The fear of a war in which weapons of mass destruction would be used had vanished. Cold War was an ideological war between the capitalist west led by the USA the communist east led by the Soviet Union. Cold war was characterized by arms struggle between these two sides with either side arming its allies in readiness for any eventuality. This sometimes led to wars with the two powers supporting the opposing side. On both sides of the Cold War, the trend seemed to indicate that the world was moving toward internationalism rather than nationalism. As a result of the threat of nuclear warfare, great emphasis on democracy and human rights, economic interdependence, and gradual acceptance of universal ideologies, it became fashionable to speak of the demise of ethnic and nationalist movements.Despite expectations to the contrary after the cold war, a fresh cycle of ethno political movements re-emerged in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Africa, and many other parts of the world. In fact, with the end of the Cold War, which clearly increased international cooperation while decreasing the possibilities of inter-state wars, the main threat to peace does not come from major inter-state confrontations any more, but from another source: intra-state conflicts, conflicts that occur within the borders of states. These conflicts have replaced the Cold Wars ideological clashes as the principal sources of current conflicts. The era of intra-state conflicts seem to be to be in the right position however, the international community cannot be said to be well prepared for this trend. Leading international organizations, like the UN, were designated to cope with inter-state problems, historically the main source of threat to global peace and security. On the other hand, the fact that internal conflicts occur within the borders of states made major international actors reluctant to intervene as well, either for legal concerns or concern to avoid probable loses. Thus, unless conflicts really increase in numbers , the international community alongside other concerned organizations have preferred not to get involved in intra-state conflicts. But such conflicts are as serious, costly, and intense as any in the past. And somehow they need to be managed and resolved, or else international peace and security will not be in a stable situation (Owen, 2004). Even if intra-state conflicts appear to be local, they can quickly gain an international dimension due to global interdependence and to various international supports. In fact, when external parties provide political, economic, or military assistance, or asylum and bases for actors involved in local struggles, these conflicts inevitably assume an international dimension. Accurate, effective management of conflicts within states through domestic and international authorities presupposes an understanding of their nature and causes (Bajpai, 2000). Therefore as tensions receded, it became clear that the security of citizens was threatened by hardships arising from internal state activities as well as external aggressors. Civil wars became increasingly common and compounded by existing poverty, disease, hunger, violence and human rights abuses (Owen, 2004). The real meaning of intra-state conflicts entails inter-group rivalries between two or more ethno-cultural groups that feel different from each other. But this rivalry can be translated into an overt conflict when the groups view their relationship as unfair under the existing political order. The groups that perceive themselves as underprivileged, then, would seek changes through conflict, ranging from recognition of cultural rights to autonomy, to political separation or full independence. The conflict is usually directed towards the members of dominant group(s) or to the state authority dominated by them. Thus, in almost all intra-state conflicts, the very legitimacy of the state is under question and domestic law is considered breakable as it is perceived to be in favor of dominant groups (Lewkowicz, 2010). The other most striking change in the transition from the Cold War that possess current widening and deepening in the international peace operations in the world is posed by nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. Most countries have continued to pile stocks of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons which have led to deteriorating peace and security in the world. The real threat of the acquisition of these weapons by a few countries do generated a general rush to others to follow them, because their neighbors feel exposed and threatened. The other factor that has led to the decline in the international peace and security after the cold war is the threat of large scale aggression by major world powers with political and economic interests in other sovereign states. These countries have been fueling conflicts in the developing countries. Another factor that has contributed to the deepening and widening of international peace and security is terrorism. Terrorism is not a new phenomenon in the history of mankind. It has appeared in many forms and guises even before the cold war but contemporary terrorism fueled by religious and nationalist fanaticism, operating in failed states, and sometimes instigated, financed, and manipulated by governments, is more dangerous than ever before (Owen, 2004). Where terrorism has been permitted to operate too freely and become more than a nuisance, a high price been paid in terms of limitation of freedom and human rights to put an end to it. Naturally, free societies are reluctant to pay such a price. This is one of the great dilemmas of our time and no one has so far found a painless way to solve it (Lewkowicz, 2010). International peace is deteriorating and every country seems unsafe from these new threats or rather causes to global insecurity. This is because some of post cold war causes seems to be carried out by individuals who attacks countries without warning. For example most terrorist attacks have been carried out by individuals who end up sacrificing themselves in the act hence dealing with them has been an uphill task. Since most of terrorist attacks have been linked to Muslims, it has led to mistrust and suspicion of Muslim community as a whole and hence religious hatred. Because of these reasons that have led to changes in factors threatening international peace and security, it has become clear that the framework that guided countries security policy during the Cold War is inadequate for the present threats. Countries have to determine the characteristics of this new era, develop a new strategy, and restructure their armed forces and defense programs accordingly (Bajpai, 2000). References Bajpai, K. 2000 Human Security: Concept and Measurement, University of Notre Dame, Kroc Institute Occasional Paper no. 19 accessed on 29/04/06 at Read More