Chapter Summary

This chapter moves from domestic politics to the world of international relations. It focuses primarily on the patterns of nation-state behavior since World War II and raises questions as to how well equipped the international system is to further cooperation between states, foster humane accommodation, and advance the peaceful resolution of conflict. Is the international system prepared to maximize security, liberty, justice, and welfare in the global community?

The post–World War II era of international politics can be divided into two periods. The first, the Cold War, ran from roughly 1947 to 1989 and was characterized by a bipolar distribution of power between the United States and the Soviet Union. It was a period of great tension between the two superpowers, and this tense relationship had an enormous impact on defining the world political system. The second period, which we are still in, is what might be called the post–Cold War period. It began in 1990 with the collapse of the communist world. This period, dominated by the power of the United States, poses a number of significant challenges to the international community, including (1) a large Russian republic struggling with a drastically reduced military capability, a difficult transformation to a market economy, and maintenance of the basic rudiments of democracy; (2) formerly communist Eastern European countries emerging as new market economies; (3) a Western-dominated European Union, which has reached unparalleled levels of economic integration as it continues to expand eastward; (4) the emergence of a militant Islamic fundamentalism, particularly in the Middle East and South Asia; (5) a dramatic shift from historically authoritarian political systems to democratic systems of government in many parts of the world; (6) the prospect of a meaningful reduction in nuclear armaments by the superpowers coupled with nuclear weapons proliferation in other parts of the world; (7) an alarming increase in civil wars and regional conflicts, many of them emerging out of long-standing ethnic, tribal, and religious resentments; (8) a globalization of the international economic system built on the twin pillars of capitalism and computer-based communications; and (9) a dramatic increase in the reach and lethality of terrorism, including the specter of biological and chemical weapons.

A number of patterns of behavior are manifest in the international system: balance of power, as practiced in various forms throughout history, including the Cold War; domination, a clear example being the German and Japanese imperial conquest prior to and during World War II; and multilateralism, represented globally by the United Nations and in the phenomenon known as globalization and represented regionally by organizations such as the European Union. Other forms of behavior include neutrality, nonalignment, and isolation.

Finally, the international system is increasingly influenced by the behavior of nonstate actors, such as multinational corporations, terrorist groups, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).