Echoes of Cold War: The Prelude to World War Three

1493 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Criticisms of realism in international relations

The Cold War echos into contemporary foreign policy and military science. Both America and Russia have primed their interests in the Baltic States and Ukraine. While no state desires war, the threat is imminent. Memories of 1914 and the beginnings of World War I are eerily familiar in contemporary politics. Classical realism, constructivism, and neorealism can each be applied to see how the beginnings of World War Three are already unfolding.
I predict that the world will cease to remain a unipolar hegemony and that NATO’s legitimacy will be questioned. Due to the rise of nationalism, the world will progress towards a multipolar, unstable distribution of power, beckoning armed conflict between Russia and NATO states. I argue that war itself, …show more content…

Furthermore, it is human nature for states to pursue power as an end. Morgenthau highlighted the influence of nationalism, ideologies, and imperialism in a variety of forms. Classical realism additionally asserts that the international system is anarchic and that security dilemmas lead to war. Classical realism can thus be deployed to provide both a rationalization for and critique of American power after the war. World War I began because of classical realist theories of states’ lust for power by certain individual leaders, such as the Kaiser’s influence on Austria’s declaration of war on Serbia. In the Cold War, each state did not want to push the other too far, as it would ensure mutual destruction, but instead threatened each other just far enough to overcompensate and defend themselves. The Cold War was a product of US and Russian foreign policy interests in global …show more content…

It is not human nature that drives world politics, but rather a system where each state is in pursuit of gain, and its actions on an international arena depend on its individual interests. Anarchy of the international system is an order in itself. Concerned with its security and development, each state is in constant competition with other states. Power is central to understanding the relations among states. In pursuit of power makes states increase their arsenals, boost their economies and develop science and

Show More
Related

  • Nationalism in All Quiet on The Western Front

    1385 Words  | 3 Pages

    All this Conflict eventually resulted in the begining of Worls War I. The causes of World War I were the intense nationalism that dominated Europe throughout the 19th and into the 20th century, and the establishment of large armies in Europe after 1871. Imperialism created a rivaly between nations and empires. The build up of armies and navies created fear between nations. France feared Germany, Germany feared Russia, Austria-Hungary and Russia rivaled around Bulkans, Britain feared German's expanding navy, Slovakia wanted to free Slavian land from Astria-Hungary's apressi on.

    Read More

  • The Cold War

    1177 Words  | 3 Pages

    Odd Arne Westad, Director of the Cold War Studies Centre at the London School of Economics and Political Science, explains how the Cold War “shaped the world we live in today — its politics, economics, and military affairs“ (Westad, The Global Cold War, 1). Furthermore, Westad continues, “ the globalization of the Cold War during the last century created foundations” for most of the historic conflicts we see today. The Cold War, asserts Westad, centers on how the Third World policies of the two twentieth-century superpowers — the United States and the Soviet Union — escalates to antipathy and conflict that in the end helped oust one world power while challenging the other. This supplies a universal understanding on the Cold War (Westad, The Global Cold War, 1).

    Read More

  • The Three Causes Of World War I

    649 Words  | 2 Pages

    In August of 1914, a war today known as World War I began. The World War 1 began as a war locally between Austria-Hungary and Serbia. It eventually grew into a war involving thirty-two different countries. The allies involved in World War 1 included Britain, France, Russia, Italy and the United States. These countries fought against Germany, Ottoman Empire, Austria-Hungary, and Bulgaria. A question frequently asked by many people is, what really caused World War 1 to happen. There are several different causes people believe that started World War I. Three causes mostly believed to be what started World War I are imperialism, nationalism, and militarism.

    Read More

  • Causes of World War I with Relationship to Current Conflicts

    1000 Words  | 2 Pages

    Causes of World War I in Relation to Current Conflicts As the war of the worlds collided between the more democratic Allies and the orthodox Central powers, there were numerous causes to the war in which they can be summed up into the –isms of modern analysis. In the 19th, 20th, and even the 21st century, almost all of the conflicts can be categorized into either one or a combination of those –isms. Nationalism and Extreme Nationalism One of the causes of World War I can be linked to the use of extreme nationalism. An easily abused method, nationalism proved worthy of a war during the Napoleonic Era.

    Read More

  • World War 1 Dbq Essay

    641 Words  | 2 Pages

    War is what keeps a nation from dying, it is the backbone of a country. This is the shown throughout the course of World War I, also known as “the war to end all wars.” World War I started in the summer of 1914. Archduke Francis Ferdinand, from the Austro – Hungarian Empire was visiting Bosnia. He was shot, along with his wife, Sofia, by a young man from the Black Hand, Gavrillo Princip. What were the three main factors that started World War I? There were three main underlying causes that started World War I: greed, nationalism, and militarism.

    Read More

  • Dbq World War 1

    1400 Words  | 3 Pages

    World War I, also referred to as the Great War, was global conflict among the greatest Western powers and beyond. From 1914-1918, this turf war swept across rivaling nations, intensifying oppositions and battling until victory was declared. World War I was immediately triggered by the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, however several long-term causes also contributed. The growing development of militarism, the eruption of powerful alliances, as well as the spread of imperialism, and a deepening sense of nationalism, significantly promoted to the outbreak of the Great War.

    Read More

  • The cold war

    2042 Words  | 5 Pages

    With the shock of two destructive world wars and then the creation of the United Nations, whose aim is to preserve peace, it is unconceivable for these two nations to fight directly in order to promote their own ideology. But the US and the USSR end up to be in competition in numerous ways, particularly in technological and industrial fields. In the same time they start to spread their influence over their former allies. This phenomenon have led to the creation of a bipolar world, divided in two powerful blocs surrounded by buffer zones, and to the beginning of what we call the Cold War because of the absence of direct conflicts between the two nations.

    Read More

  • The Realism of Kenneth Waltz

    2320 Words  | 5 Pages

    The realism that will be the focus of this paper is that of Kenneth Waltz. Kenneth Waltz presents his theory of realism, within an international system, by offering his central myth that, “Anarchy is the permissive cause of war”. Kenneth Waltz’s central myth helps answer the question as to why war happens in the first place. During the cold war, there was a heightened sense of insecurity between Russia and the United States due to presence of nuclear weapons. The Movie Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb used cold war tension between the two countries to tell the story of a general who went crazy and decided to unleash his fleet of nuclear bombers onto Russian military bases.

    Read More

  • Theories Explaining International Relations Dynamics

    1448 Words  | 3 Pages

    I say this because it is very evident that there is no single ruler of the world and that there is not one institution that enforces laws throughout the entire international system. Neorealism acknowledges the struggle for power between states, but not in an animalistic manner as realism views. I do not believe that human nature is innately evil and for which that is the reason why all states act rationally by trying to overpower the other. I believe that the realm of anarchy creates an environment that promotes conflict over conflicting values or laws. Each state has their own set of laws that may or may not agree with the laws and culture of another state. Anarchy in the international system forces the theory of realism to concentrate on absolute gains from conflict and how necessary it is to engage in conflict with another state (34 Walt). Neorealism provides a basic, all-including analysis that encompasses many aspects of the international system without excluding

    Read More

  • Structural Realism after the Cold War

    984 Words  | 2 Pages

    The prominent scholar of Political Science, Kenneth N. Waltz, founder of neorealism, has proposed controversial realist theories in his work. Publications such as "Man, the State, and War: A Theoretical Analysis", "Theory of International Politics” and “The Spread of Nuclear Weapons: A Debate,” demonstrate how Waltz's approach was motivated by the American military power. In acquaintance of this fact, the purpose of this paper is to critically analyze Waltz theoretical argument from the journal "Structural Realism after the Cold War". Firstly, this paper will indicate the author's thesis and the arguments supporting it. Secondly, limitations found in theoretical arguments will be illustrated and thirdly, synergies between the author's thesis and this analysis will be exposed.

    Read More

  • The First World War (WWI)

    444 Words  | 1 Pages

    World War 1 World War 1 was called “The Great War”, “The war to end all wars”, and “The first modern war”. It has many causes and a few repercussions and I will describe them in detail. The most widely known reason for the start of World War 1 was the assassination of the Arch Duke Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in the Serbian capital of Sarajevo. The ArchDuke was there to talk to the Serbian leaders about peace on the Balkan Peninsula. After a Serbian was arrested for the assassination, Austria-Hungary pulled out of the peace talks and declared war on Serbia.

    Read More

  • Why Is Power Central to Realist Perspectives of International Relations?

    1390 Words  | 3 Pages

    Historically, realism has been the dominant theory of International Relations which explains the fundamental features of international politics, inevitably associated with conflict and war (Chiaruzzi, 2012, pp. 36). Basically, there are two approaches of realism; classical realism and neorealism. Classical realists strongly emphasize on historical reality and takes its principles, orientations and practice from the account of history (Chiaruzzi, 2012, pp. 37). In contrast, neorealism is based on a scientific method by examining economic theory and philosophy of science rather than historical reflection (Chiaruzzi, 2012, pp. 41). In addition, power is central to realist perspectives of International Relations because it is crucial for the understanding of two principal issues: who can be expected to win a conflict? And, related to this, who governs international politics? (Guzzini, 2013, pp. 47). According to Morgenthau, power was the consequence of the drive for domination, the immediate aim of all political action, and the essence of international politics (Guzzini, 2013, pp. 47).

    Read More

  • The Cold War of 1946-1991

    1713 Words  | 4 Pages

    The end of World War II did not end the disputed but unexpectedly causing the conflict between allied countries, led to an era known as the “Cold War”. Roughly lasted from the close of Second World War (1946) to the end of 1980s, this is a stage of political conflict, proxy wars and economic competition rather than military combat between the Communist represented by Soviet Union and the powers of Western world primarily United Stated. Although many times it appeared that both military forces would engaged in a major battle, turning the war into “hot”, the two sides just expressed the conflict through military coalition, arms races and technological competitions. Going through four long decades, it casted a shadow in the second half of 20th century and left a scar that still feel today.

    Read More

  • Political Realism

    2261 Words  | 5 Pages

    People’s ideas and assumptions about world politics shape and construct the theories that help explain world conflicts and events. These assumptions can be classified into various known theoretical perspectives; the most dominant is political realism. Political realism is the most common theoretical approach when it is in means of foreign policy and international issues. It is known as “realpolitik” and emphasis that the most important actor in global politics is the state, which pursues self-interests, security, and growing power (Ray and Kaarbo 3). Realists generally suggest that interstate cooperation is severely limited by each state’s need to guarantee its own security in a global condition of anarchy. Political realist view international politics as a struggle for power dominated by organized violence, “All history shows that nations active in international politics are continuously preparing for, actively involved in, or recovering from organized violence in the form of war” (Kegley 94). The downside of the political realist perspective is that their emphasis on power and self-interest is their skepticism regarding the relevance of ethical norms to relations among states.

    Read More

  • International System Essay

    926 Words  | 2 Pages

    Since the earliest recorded history, there has always been one elusive title that a State has strived for, the title of Super Power. Power is one of the fundamental characteristics of the international system and the distribution of power among states. It is obvious that states are unequal in power and this “entails a number of important implications for international politics”. As a result of this lack of power, the ‘weak states’ desires and concerns are often neglected and the ‘strong states’ demands usually shape the international agenda. In the Modern Society, some would argue that we have two great powers in Russia and the United States, but if you measure and compare the two countries, The United States is more powerful. Some of these categories are population in which the U.S has more than double Russ...

    Read More

More about Echoes of Cold War: The Prelude to World War Three

Open Document