Abstract
The end of the Cold War has proved a mixed blessing for those regions where local international politics remain volatile. On the positive side of the ledger, the cessation of Sino-Soviet-United States contention has alleviated some of the smaller states’ concerns over the domination of their foreign and defence policies by the great powers. They no longer need to seek shelter under the wing of a state which might interfere in their domestic affairs as the price of alliance. On the other hand, the Cold War’s demise also means that great power largesse has been greatly reduced. Subsidies for small allies’ budgets and special access for their exports in the markets of their mentors may atrophy as regional powers’ strategic value diminishes. Moreover, when great powers reduce their military deployments in third world regions, the indigenous conflicts-which had been suppressed through extended deterrence-resurface. Regional members must now confront these conflicts on their own and either defer, resolve, or possibly go to war over them.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 112-124 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Pacific Review |
Volume | 5 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1992 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geography, Planning and Development
- Sociology and Political Science