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Arctic Yearbook 2013
Koivumaa
The Modern International System
The Post-Cold War International System
Cold War
-
bipolar international system
The end of Cold War
-
the collapse of ―Iron Curtain‖, multi-
centric world with states, regional
organizations, firms and individuals as
actors.
-
two decades after the end of the Cold
War, political and economic
multipolarism is evident
European/Western-centric colonialism
-
state, race theories and western-centric
ideologies (capitalism and communism)
Globalization
- decolonization, the challenge for euro-
centric ideologies and the developed
economies outside Europe
-
decolonization is connected with the
multipolarism of the system
Modern Progress-Oriented European
Integration
-
economy, functionalism and rationalism
Post-modern, de-Centralized European Union
- an enlargement of the EU to the north
and east of Europe
-
EMU and possibilities for active EU
citizenships, localism
The Modern and the Post-Cold War International Systems
During the Cold War the superpowers dominated the agenda. The conflicts in the third world
countries adapted to the mould of geopolitical confrontation between capitalism and communism in
the world. In the East, communism was the icon of progress. This justified the colonialist politics of
the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe and many countries in Africa and Central/South America. Of
course the United States had its own sphere of progress in the name of market economy. The
political agenda in the post-Cold War system has become much more complicated. It is influenced
by, for example, the discussion about regional economic organizations, the growing political power
of non-European world views in the world, and new security risks – compared to wars between the
states or superpowers – such as terrorism, economic crisis and climate change. After the Cold War
the most demanding task for the international community is the management of new security risks
without any kind of certainty about the future.
The transition factors have, of course, had many consequences all over the world. As I mentioned
before, the role of the state is changing; for example the EU has changed the macroeconomic status
of its member states. Because of globalization the balance between Europe and other areas in the
world is in transition. Europe – and the European way of life – is no longer at the center of the
world: the age of Euro-centric colonialism is over. At the same time, the role played by the world