Kazuhiko Ranmabayashi
April 29, 1996

Allie, Cold War, Nuclear Crisis, Detente,
                  the End of Cold War and Then. . .

     Raynold L.Garthoff's "Looking Back: The Cold War in Retrospect," presents the theory that Mikhail Gorbachev is the one who should be given the credit for ending the Cold War, and it was rather the Product of balance of power politics than a battle of ideologies. It seems to me, he was right about what he thought, and the reason should be explainable.

     Cold War was already begun before the W.W.II was ended. British Prim Minister Winston Churchill was already mentioning about the iron curtain, and Stalin was demanding friendly governments in the Eastern Europe at Potsdam. To Stalin, it was obvious that Soviet Union would be isolated from the international affairs after the end of the War, unless he takes action while Soviet Union was still in the great alliance. While Soviet Union established satellite nations in the Eastern Europe, the West was supporting Italy. Then the conflict between U.K.-U.S. and Soviet Union about administrating postwar Germany occurred, and it really split the West and the East. After that happened, Soviet Union and the U.S. became rival; One side announced the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, then another side announced "COMECON"; one side established NATO, then another side established the Warsaw Pact. Although the U.S. was building up military alliance, it was reducing its military force because the W.W.II was ended, but another war occurred and it changed everything. Unanticipated Korean war changed the U.S.'s thought, and the U.S. started to build up military force again, and islands in the far east (Japan, Philippine, Taiwan) became very important for U.S. foreign policy. Competition of nuclear warfare was in its zenith, and Cuban Missile Crisis occurred. The people thought W.W.III could begin in any minute.

     However, it did not happen because both the U.S. and Soviet Union had problems of their own: Sino-Soviet Split for Soviet Union and Vietnam War for the U.S.; further more, Civil Rights movement for the U.S. and Afghanistan for Soviet Union. They were targets of international criticism, and also they were beginning to realize that they were losing their power as two super powers of the world. They were, off course, still the super powers, but the world power map had been changing, and it was becoming the multipolar world: not only two but many power holding regions throughout the world.

     Then, the U.S. and Soviet Union started to compromise. It started from SALT I and SALT II; many treaties of disarmament of nuclear weapons. When Mikhail Gorbachev became a head of Soviet Union, speed of became quicker and quicker. Although he never intended to change the socialist form of government, he proclaimed Glasnost and Perestroika: publication of governmental information and moderate reform of economy. However, in both case, the people of Soviet Union and the Eastern Europe reacted radically. Three Baltic states were independent from Soviet Union, and The Eastern European nations became capitalist nations, and West and East Germany united. Then it was also the end of Soviet Union; it was tears a part on December 8, 1991. Cold War was ended.

     The Cold War left some victims like divided nations (two Korea, two China), but now, new "ISMS" are rising again; nationalism, racial self-determination and religion. All of these idealogies are now making conflict throughout the world, especially in the Middle East and Africa. Though the U.N. finally got both of two largest military in the world, its peace keeping works are not doing very well, and it probably will not work in the future either because ethnical and religious problem can never solve by any one.