1st Edition

Superpower Rivalry and Conflict The Long Shadow of the Cold War on the 21st Century

Edited By Chandra Chari Copyright 2010
    280 Pages
    by Routledge

    278 Pages
    by Routledge

    Variously described by historians and thinkers as the ‘most terrible century in Western history’, ‘a century of massacres and wars’ and the ‘most violent century in human history’, the 20th century – and in particular the period between the First World War and the collapse of the USSR – forms a coherent historical period which changed the entire face of human history within a few decades. This book examines the trajectory of the Cold War and the fallouts for the rest of the world to seek lessons for the 21st century to manage international relations today and avoid conflict.  Written by experts in their field, the chapters provide an alternative perspective to the Western-paradigm dominated international relations theory. The book examines for example whether now in the 21st century the unipolar moment has passed and if the changing economic balance of power, thrown up by globalization, has led to the emergence of a multipolar world capable of economic and multilateral cooperation. It discusses the potential of new cooperative security frameworks, which would provide an impetus to disarmament and protection of the environment globally and asks if nuclear disarmament is feasible and necessary. The book highlights areas in which the potential for conflict is ingrained. Offering Asian perspectives on these issues – perspectives from countries like Afganistan, Vietnam, West Asia and Pakistan which were embroiled in the Cold War as mere pawns and which have become flashpoints for conflict in our century – this book is an important contribution to the ongoing debate.

    1. Introduction Chandra Chari  Part I: Superpower Rivalry: An Overview  2. A Historical Overview of the Cold War K. Subrahmanyam  3. Superpower Rivalry and the Victimization of Korea: The Korean War and the North Korean Nuclear Crisis Haksoon Paik  4. Regional Fallout: Vietnam Baladas Ghoshal  5. Afghanistan: Before and After the Cold War Amin Saikal  6. Pakistan and the Cold-War Stephen Cohen  Part II: Prospects for a Multipolar World: Perspectives at the Beginning of the Twenty-first Century  7. Theorizing Unipolarity  E. Sridharan  8. Debating Multilateralism: The Role of Emerging Powers Swaran Singh  9. Europe, China, India and the Multipolar World Order Charles Grant  10. Globalization Revisited: Evolving Chinese Discourses on the Open Door Policy and Integration with the World Economy Kalpana Misra  11. Recolonizing West Asia in the 21st Century? Gulshan Dietl  12. Emerging International Order and South Korea’s Survival Strategy Tae Woo Kim  Part III: Thinking Beyond Borders & Boundaries: Prospects for War & Peace  14. Conflict Models: How Relevant are They to Asia? Anuradha M. Chenoy  15. Religion as a Catalyst for Conflict: The Case of Islam Jamal Malik  16. The Antarctic Experiment in Utopia: Sovereignty, Resources and Sustainability Sanjay Chaturvedi  Part IV: Looking Ahead: Can History be Prevented from Repeating Itself?  17. Nuclear Disarmament: Mirage or Need of the Hour? P.R. Chari  18. To Err is Statesmanlike, to Learn Folly T.C.A. Srinivasa-Raghavan  19. Is History Being Repeated? Radha Kumar  20. Engaging the Idea of Global Citizenship Siddharth Mallavarapu

    Biography

    Chandra Chari is one of the founder-editors, and present Editor of The Book Review - a journal of repute promoting research in political thought and international relations. She is the current Chairperson of The Book Review Literary Trust, India.  She recently edited War, Peace, Hegemony in a Globalized World: The Changing Balance of Power in the Twenty-First Century (also published by Routledge).