POLS2409 Lecture 10: POLS2409 Lecture 11
Lecture 11 - The Post-Cold War Order
The Post-Cold War Decade, 1990-2001: Hope and Hubris
short-lived hope
International Order: 3 Pillars of the Liberal Project
1 - International Order + International law/institutions
the power of int law and int institutions as peaceful alternatives to war + methods of
conflict resolution
1990s: renewed hope in the power of these
2 - International Order, Democracy + National Self-Determination
Democracy + national self-determination as superior alternatives to empires
peace through spread of democracy
1990s: optimism about democratic enlargement, and attempt (once again) to pursue
int order predicated on nationalism and the idea of peace through the spread of
democracy
however, Wilson applied this only to European countries, it had racist undertones
3 - Int Order + Market Capitalism
the spread of market cap + the belief that commerce will have a pacifying effect on the
int system
1990s: commitment to advancing the spread of markets, promotion of free trade, etc.
by Clinton administration
War + Order-Building in the 20th Cent. - Three Stages
The Post-WWI War Order
League of nations, self-determination, the return to normalcy
Post-WWII War Order
the UN, decolonisation, embedded liberalism
Post-CW Order
the UN (mark 2), democratic enlargement, and neo-liberal globalisation
Order-Building in Europe in the post-CW Decade
German Reunification + the end of the German Problem
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Peaceful unification of East + West Gmny in Oct 1990
Britain and France were reluctant
Gmny unified under principle that is must remain embedded within institutions (NATO,
European community)
a European Germany, rather than a German Europe
Note: Germany is missing in action as an int power during the 90s
Russians led to believe NATO would stay as is
NATO + EU Expansion
Consolidating democracy in central + eastern Europe through NATO and EU
expansion
German/US/European/Western perspective
Democratic enlargement
height of faith in the transformative power of int institutions
unresolved historical guilt towards eastern europe
Security umbrella
Russian perspective:
less impressed - collapse of SU
collapse of SU + decline in economic productivity created a window of opportunity
for NATO and EU to enter the West - product of democratic enlargement
NATO expands in a series of rounds from the 90s onwards
Russia
western optimism that Russia will be integrated as a market economy into the
democratic community
Shock Therapy on the Russian economy
best way to transform is to tear down old structures ASAP and change to capitalism
massive transfer of assets from Russian state to small number of wealthy oligarchs
tremendous political and economic upheaval in Russia
Significant weakness of Russian state
for West, happy times for Europe
Gulf War 1 + the First Test of the New World Order
Iraqi invasion of Kuwait + first Post-CW test for UN
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
UN against Iraq
superpower vetoes conflicting each other, preventing UN from fulfilling its purpose
Desert Shield + Desert Storm: incomplete victory
humanitarianism, the containment of Iraq, + expanding security agenda
demonstrated that US had unparalleled military superiority
could almost wage wars in a risk-free fashion
ability to intervene in other states to advance liberalism
convinced states like China that it was time to modernise their military capabilities
Skepticism arises
Humanitarian Crises + the Faltering New World Order
Somalia
1992 - UNOSOM 1 (UN), then UNITAF/Operation Restore Hope (US-led) then later
UNOSOM II
Oct 1993: The Battle of Mogadishu + Black Hawk Down
Failure of armed humanitarianism
US withdrew from Somalia
Showed that although US has the resources, it lacks resolve
Rwanda
the Rwandan Genocide - 1994
Clinton administration reluctant to intervene
UN Peacekeeping Force pulled out early
Int communitys failures to protect
Beginnings of discussions around the need to qualify norms of sovereignty
halting move to establish a principle of humanitarianism intervention
Disillusionment with lib int order
Wars of the Yugoslav Succession + Western Response
A Crisis on Europes Doorstep
ethnic cleansing and the collapse of Yugoslavia
collapse of the Yugoslav state 1991
genocidal violence in Europe
int community slow to respond - particularly US
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
The post-cold war decade, 1990-2001: hope and hubris short-lived hope. International order: 3 pillars of the liberal project. 1 - international order + international law/institutions the power of int law and int institutions as peaceful alternatives to war + methods of conflict resolution. 1990s: renewed hope in the power of these. 2 - international order, democracy + national self-determination. Democracy + national self-determination as superior alternatives to empires peace through spread of democracy. 1990s: optimism about democratic enlargement, and attempt (once again) to pursue int order predicated on nationalism and the idea of peace through the spread of democracy however, wilson applied this only to european countries, it had racist undertones. 3 - int order + market capitalism the spread of market cap + the belief that commerce will have a pacifying effect on the int system. 1990s: commitment to advancing the spread of markets, promotion of free trade, etc. by clinton administration.
