Power, Politics, Conflict, and Globalization

1. Power, Politics, Conflict, and Globalization 1990-2010 Chs. 35-36

2. Overview • At the beginning of the twentieth century, a European-dominated global political order existed, which also included the United States, Russia, and Japan. • Over the course of the century this order was challenged in ways that sought to redistribute power within the existing order and to restructure empires. • These challenges to the political order manifested themselves in an unprecedented level of conflict with high human casualties. • Internal and external factors: • ethnic and religious conflicts, secessionist movements, territorial partitions, economic dependency, and the legacies of colonialism.

3. End of the Cold War • Russian empire had been expanding for 500 years (on and off, interrupted by WWI) • Factors in soviet decline: • leadership turned conservative (unwilling to rock the boat) • Iranian revolution of 1979- Russia invades Afghanistan -> international disapproval • Communism on the defensive • US foreign policy on the offensive- pressure on the Soviets

4. End of the Cold War • Mikhail Gorbachev- renounced “Stalinism”, enacted reforms to limit nuclear weapons. • Glasnost – policy of political openness • Perestroika – economic restructure- private ownership, decentralized control of agriculture and industry • Attempted coup from a growing democratic movement- republics separating from USSR, Russia’s Boris Yeltsin declares the end of the Soviet Union

5. Cold War inspired violence • Chechnya – a Muslim territory in Russia that underwent civil war. Poor management of provinces. Putin becomes president in 1991, works to tighten hold on Russia. • Bosnian Genocide – 1993: ethnic tensions (Muslims, Croatians, Serbs) rise in former Soviet Yugoslavia; Serbian Slobodan Milosevic leads ethnic cleansing against the Croat and Muslim minorities in Bosnia. NATO intervention, conflict ends • Kosovo – late 1990s: Albanian pressure for independence met with Serbian resistance – more ethnic cleansing. NATO intervention, Yugoslavia dissolves into Serbia and Montenegro.

9. Other Conflicts • Saddam Hussein in Iraq invades Iran (wins), then oil-rich Kuwait. International coalition of Arab states and the West – First US Iraq War (1991) – Us leaves a large military presence in the Middle East, draws criticism from Arabs and Muslims • Rwandan genocide – ethnic tension between Hutu and Tutsi groups leads to the Hutu majority (85%) killing all “Tutsi Cockroaches” between April-June 1994

11. Other conflicts (continued) • Israel – Palestine Conflict: Israeli relations with Palestinian minority deteriorate after the Cold War, violence increases. Issues remain to be resolved. • India vs. Pakistan border conflicts over Kashmir (c. 2000). Both countries tested nuclear weapons – no longer a limited amount of countries with nuclear capability. Hindu nationalism in India vs. Muslims in Pakistan • British suppressing Welsh and Scottish – limited autonomy. • Ethnic disputes continue in Africa: Congo, C.A.R., South Sudan • Religious disputes in Africa: Nigeria, C.A.R. countless others.

13. US as the sole superpower • Level of American power worries many: • China increases military arsenal • European nations discussed a joint military force independent of NATO • Growth and success of the European Union counterweights the US • What should Americans do with power? • Police regional conflicts? • Mobilize the world community?

14. The War on Terror • 9/11 Attacks altered US foreign policy -> war on terrorism • Military attack that toppled fundamentalist regime in Afghanistan (Al Qaeda), military bases established near potential centers of terrorist activity • 2003- focus on Iraq, which was accused of amassing weaponry and aiding terrorists. • Evidence was false, international community turns public opinion against the US • 2009- Iraq somewhat calmer, US turns its focus back to Afghanistan and radical groups in Pakistan • We are still in Afghanistan and Iraq today.

15. Globalization • Definition: the increasing interconnectedness of all parts of the world, particularly in communication and commerce but also in culture and politics. • We’ve looked at how connections among Africa, Asia and Europe increased with networks in the post-classical period, which is a move toward globalization. Whole world was not yet involved. • Full globalization emerged in the later 19th century, dependence on new technologies, policy decisions (spearheaded by Western imperialism)

16. 20th century globalization • Technology is crucial: airplanes, radio, satellite, Internet, etc. • Asian isolation – Japan and China pull away to form independent economic systems • China opens up in 1978, Chinese economy grows – number one in the world? • Socially, globalization impacts: increase in unemployment, economic inequality, challenged the established sense of identity