The Return to a Cold War Bipolar Environment?

Abstract

The Cold War was a period of tension and hostility between the West, led by the United States (US), and the Soviet Union (USSR). This conflict formed the foundation and structure of world order for the latter half of the twentieth-century. The comparable, but externally unmatched, military, political and economic power of these states is widely accepted as exemplifying bipolarity. Although Cold War bipolarity collapsed following the fall of the USSR, it has recently been suggested that the world is returning to a similar environment. The common justification for this suggestion is the re-emergence of animosity between the US and Russia, driven by Russian attempts to reassert its power. However, I will argue that the return to bipolar world order has implications beyond opposition alone, and therefore the world is not returning to a Cold War bipolar environment. Interrogation of the parallels between the past and present world order have become more important and necessary in recent years. This is a consequence of significant upheavals in the international political landscape. As the world becomes increasingly unpredictable, the past becomes increasingly helpful for providing insight into what the future might hold.