World Politics in a New Era

Globalization and Fragmentation in a New World Order:

1991 to the Present

Globalization and Fragmentation• End of Cold War was a shock• Optimism prevailed– Francis Fukuyama and “The End of History” – Humankind’s political and social evolution has an

endpoint– Democratic, liberal, capitalist system and society – Evidence includes

• Worldwide economic liberalization• The failures of monarchy, fascism, and communism• The spread of Western ideals and culture

– The end of history is still a long way off

Globalization and Fragmentation

• Despite the optimism, fragmentation also followed the end of the Cold War– Samuel P. Huntington and “The Clash of

Civilizations?”– Conflicts of the future will be cultural – Globalization brings disparate people ever more

into contact– “The West versus the rest” – Most striking cultural divide: Western culture

versus Islamic civilization

A New World Order?

• In 1991, President George Bush envisioned a system wherein states would cooperate against common threats– Declared the establishment of a “New World Order”– Post-Cold War world would be less confrontational

• End of bipolarity• U.S. was unchallenged militarily• Welcomed by some, but others not enthusiastic

War in the Gulf

• Iraq invaded and annexed Kuwait in 1990– Attempt to gain a dominant position in the Persian

Gulf– Shocked the international community– U.S.-led international coalition with UN approval– Victory was swift– The offensive was halted before taking Baghdad or

deposing Saddam Hussein – System of UN inspections– Seeds of future conflict were planted

The European Union• An economic and political union– A single market for capital, goods, services, and labor– European Parliament with powers to pass legislation

binding on all members– Executive body– Court of Justice

• In 2002, the euro became legal tender in most member states, and in 2003, the EU expanded

• Problems– Common currency– Rules and regulations fail to consider the concerns of

individual countries, provinces, or local communities

U.S. Economic Hegemony

• Steward of an increasingly integrated international economic system– Dominance in global trade and finance– Size of markets– Role of the dollar

• Other countries’ misfortunes and obstacles – Germany and Japan– China and Russia– African economies– Southeast Asian “Tigers”

Regional and Internal Conflicts: The Middle East

• Iraq and Iran• Peace process– Oslo Accords– Extremists on both sides– The “Quartet” and the “Road Map” for peace– Israel’s unilateral disengagement from Gaza– Parliamentary victory for Hamas– Hamas versus Fatah and the takeover of Gaza

Regional and Internal Conflicts:South Asia

• The conflict between India and Pakistan dominates the region– Colonial legacy– Regional states attempting to consolidate control– Ethnic and religious animosity

• Most contentious area: Kashmir• Nuclear weapons and deterrence theory• Peace talks

Regional and Internal Conflicts:East Asia

• The Korean Peninsula– Tensions rose in 1994– Agreed framework– 2003—North Korea withdrew from NPT– Six-party talks

• China and Taiwan– Increased trade– China’s ambitions concerning Taiwan – China’s nuclear and missile forces

Collective Security

• Dissolution of Yugoslavia– UN intervention in Bosnia (1995)– NATO intervention in Kosovo (1999)

• Somalia– Competing warlords using famine as a weapon– UN humanitarian intervention– U.S.-led international task force– Nation-building– Mogadishu warlord Mohamed Farah Aideed

Collective Security and Genocide

• Rwanda– Assassination of Hutu President Juvenal Habyarimana– The Hutu government incited mobs to slaughter

Tutsis and moderate Hutus– The Rwanda Patriotic Front and Paul Kagame

• Darfur– Sudanese government and ethnic militia – Systematic campaign of “ethnic cleansing” to crush

rebel forces– Actions of the African Union and the UN

Limitations of Collective Security• The “free-rider” problem– Expectation of international action– Example: former Yugoslavia

• National sovereignty– Permission of the state – States must be willing to violate the principles of

national sovereignty• Despite problems, there have been successes– Namibia and Cambodia– Relief effort for nations hit by the Indian Ocean

tsunami of 2004

The Terror of September 11

• Destruction of World Trade Center and damage to Pentagon

• Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden• Response– Multinational military campaign against the Taliban in

Afghanistan– Global war on terror

• Rely on diplomacy, law enforcement, intelligence, and military operations

• Criticized for failing to deal with the “root causes” of terrorism

The War in Iraq

• The “axis of evil”• The U.S. ousted Saddam Hussein from power

in 2003– “The coalition of the willing” – No UN approval – Hussein was executed on December 30, 2006– Long-term effects

• Despite international actions, terrorists continue to shock the world