Abstract
Reviewed by: Sari Autio-Sarasmo, Aleksanteri-instituutti, Helsinki, Finland
International Relations since the End of the Cold War consists of 14 articles focusing on the post-Cold War era. It introduces themes from the development of the arms race and the proliferation of nuclear weapons to an analysis of the legacy of Cold War and the changing international system. In addition, the volume looks at developments in the United States, Russia, the EU, the Third World and China in the post-Cold War era. This book marks the 20th anniversary of the Norwegian Nobel Institute’s research programme. All contributors are former fellows of the programme and well-known researchers in the history of international relations. The volume continues the tradition of focusing on macro-level superpower politics, the roles of the states and their leaders in post-Cold War politics. Its contributors have been published together quite often in recent years, and this collection provides an overview of international relations in post-Cold War era rather than introducing any new approaches.
The articles in this book were all finished in the fall of 2011. The year 2014 changed so many things that one might expect a book on the world order and international relations which predated the crises in Ukraine and Syria, the emergence of radical Islam in the form of ISIS, not to mention Ebola, to be already long out of date. This, however, is not the case. The editor, director of the Nobel Institute Geir Lundestad, underlines in the conclusion that it is almost impossible to predict the future. He cites as an example the end of the Cold War: this was an inherently unpredictable development and even those who got it right, got the reasons wrong (290). The difficulty in predicting the future is indeed evident in the case of this book. Recent developments, especially the crisis in Ukraine, were not on the horizon in 2011. This is a good reminder of how fast the course of politics can change and how unpredictable both national and international developments can be. As we now know, the escalation of an internal crisis into an international conflict can happen very fast and might take place in spite of the generally accepted ‘rules of the game’. The conflict in Ukraine has created a new situation in Europe, a frozen conflict and increasing tension. The contradiction between Russia and the EU and US has led to talk of a new Cold War and new East–West contradictions.
Reading this collection, it becomes quite evident that none of the most recent turns of events are wholly surprising. In 2011, several developments in international relations were possible. Nonetheless, Russia’s discontent with the situation at that time and with the leadership of the US is one of the issues considered in this book. Its analysis of Western politics shows clearly that ‘the West’ failed to see Russia’s growing dissatisfaction at, for example, the eastern enlargement of the EU and NATO.
Now, with the media focusing on current crises and conflicts, it is easy to forget that they all have their own ‘prehistory’. Many current developments have their roots in the Cold War era. As Lundestad notes: ‘The seeds of a new historical period are always found in the earlier period’ (5). There are deep currents below the surface of world politics which affect the development of international relations. Beside the specific crises, there are ongoing issues that will influence not only the current situation but also the future. As this volume shows, the structural and economic problems of the EU are still topical. The Ukraine crisis may well exacerbate them. China’s economic and political influence is growing and will create new challenges for the world order and the US, which has its own internal economic and political challenges. Third world economies are growing, and the BRIC countries should not be ignored – the map of the global economy might change drastically before the decade is over. Lundestad has made an important contribution, giving us the tools to understand international relations in their post-Cold War context and to see the prehistory of the current crises.