Cote Blog 2

 Brian Cote

Professor Shirk

POLS 170

2 March 2022

Blog Post 2

Writing this blog post on March 2nd, 2022, provides me with the perfect context to analyze the effects of polarity in the international world. With the end of the Cold War, the world is no longer in a bi-polar system between two great powers: the United States and the Soviet Union. That stability and balance that comes with a bi-polar system collapsed along with the fall of the Soviet Union, leaving the United States as the sole great power in the world. With one great power brings about a unipolar system, where other states look to that one power to dictate world direction. One could think that this system would bring about peace and conformity in the new world order, and that was the case for about a decade. However, a key qualification needed for the stability found in a unipolar system is that the power disparities between the great power and the other states is large, so there is no room for one or a group of states to legitimately challenge the great power for the number one spot. With the rise of China in the twenty-first century, that foundation of power disparity needed for peace is rapidly becoming unstable. The recent actions of the United States in the Middle East has shown to the world that it is highly possible for another state to seize that spot as a great power. The balance of power is rapidly shifting away from the monopoly that the United States once held. 

More recently, The Russian Federation, the most powerful state to come out of the collapse of the Soviet Union, has been recently engaging in heavily aggressive actions against another former Soviet state, Ukraine. Russia has always held an overwhelming majority of the ex-Soviet army after its collapse, resulting in Russia immediately becoming a contender for a great power. However, with a stagnant economy and limited allies at its disposal, Russia has struggled to challenge the United States and China economically since its founding. Nevertheless, Russia feels comfortable enough to invade another large country, Ukraine, resulting in a large-scale conflict. Such actions are a blemish on the United States, who are looked to as the peacekeepers of the world, and failure to do so results in insubordination and doubt that the United States could really be the sole great power. As a result, Russia has affirmed the idea that the great disbursement of power is needed to ensure stability in a unipolar system. With the rise of China and the aggressive actions of Russia, that stability is under severe threat.


Comments

  1. UnknownMarch 10, 2022 at 4:04 PM

    Great blog post, I really like the background on how we have shifted from a bi-polar to a uni-polar system and I agree with you that the US is under threat by China and Russia. How do you think the US should react to this threat? How can the US show that they are strong enough to sustain a uni-polar system?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Remi AdefioyeMarch 10, 2022 at 4:15 PM

      I made the unknown comment above. I was logged into my other account by accident

      Delete

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