The Role of International Institutions and Superpowers after the End of the Cold War

Abstract

With the demise of the command economies of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, and the end of the balanced threats of the Soviet/US bi-polar system, a world order based on military power has turned into one based on economic power. As economic motives become more important, countries will become more inclined to serve their own interests in order to cope with self-enhancement policies in other countries. At the same time, however, the world economy has become more interdependent. It would appear, therefore, that two opposite forces are at work: integration and disintegration. We must find ways to promote integration and stop the disintegration. How we do this will depend on what superpowers can do and on whether the NWO is a multi-polar one. This raises the issue of the viability of a tri-polar world economy, with the attendant problem of burden-sharing.