New World Order and Its Impact on the Region With Special Emphasis on Pakistan

I IN NT TR RO OD DU UC CT TI IO ON N

The disintegration of the Soviet Union ended cold war period in
international politics. Soon after Malta Summit of December, 1989,
President George Bush gave his notion of the new political world
order. He noted that the relationship between the US and Soviet Union
had undergone a fundamental change in the post cold war era.
Moreover, the nuclear race between the two erstwhile super powers
had also come to an end. President Bush noted that the new US
emphasis would be on “struggle against terrorism, drug trafficking and
proliferation of nuclear weapons”. In an address to the Congress on
September 11, 1990, President Bush remarked as follows:
“A new era – freer from the threat of terror, stronger in
pursuit of justice and more secure in quest for peace,
an era in which nations of the world…. can prosper – a
world where rule of law supplants the rule of the jungle,
a world in which nations recognize the shared
responsibility for freedom and justice, a world where the
strong respect the rights of the weak”
However, the subsequent developments showed that the US
was now determined to impose its own values and promote its
interests by pursuing unilateralist policies in international politics.
After the end of the Gulf war of 1990 – 91, a series of
statements of the US officials and strategy papers articulated the
notion of the new world order. This notion has now developed into an
international policy which reflects the US unipolar position. The policy
includes:
1

¾ Efforts to reorganize US defense in accordance with
future needs such as preparing for two regional wars,
qualitatively enhancing while at the same time slimming-
down existing forces, and preparing for adhoc conflicts (as
interventions);
¾ Building up regional alignments;
¾ Strengthening the US economic position;
¾ Increasing its room to manoeuver worldwide through anti-
terrorist and non-proliferation measures;
¾ Reducing frictions related to the spread of the US world
order by encouraging democratization and free-market
initiatives;
¾ Preventing opposition against the world order by setting
tough examples and pointing out so-called rogue states;
and
¾ Demanding participation and a higher degree of burden-
sharing With the diminished status of the Russian Federation as the
successor state to the Soviet Union, the US emerged as the most
powerful state in the comity of nations. The first Iraqi war (1990-91) in which the US was able to lead an international coalition against
Saddam Hussain gave immense advantage to the US. The first Iraqi
war established the US supremacy as the most powerful and
technologically advanced country in the world. It also exposed the
weaknesses and vulnerability of the Arab world which had shown a
total dependence on the United States and the West. Accordingly,
while the Iraqi war gave confidence to the US to dominate resources in
the Middle East, it weakened and demoralized regimes in the Arab
world.
The growing power disparity between the US and the rest of the
world strengthened American resolve to pursue a proactive and
unilateralist approach in international politics. This became visible
during the US intervention in Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq.
With the coming into power of the new Bush administration in
2001, the neo-conservatives around President Bush have defined a
new vision of the international world order. The terrorist acts of
September 11, 2001 were a “defining moment” for the US to put in
place a new strategy for dealing with emerging threats to protect
interests of the US and its allies. The US Nuclear Posture Review of
January 2002 and the US National Security Strategy Paper released in September 2002 presented Administration’s vision of a “distinctly American internationalism”2
. These documents provide a blueprint of
the US strategy in dealing with the post cold war challenges and
promoting American values. The National Security Strategy Paper
contains a dangerous doctrine of “pre-emption” ostensibly to protect
US national security interests. The doctrine is also to be used as a tool
to change unfriendly regimes. Following regime changes in
Afghanistan and Iraq, the US is building pressure on Iran, Syria and
North Korea. The “regime change” through unilateral use of force
bypassing the UN Security Council has aroused serious
apprehensions in international community.
The post cold war period has seen emergence of regional
tensions and conflicts. The emergence of Pakistan and India as the
nuclear powers with unresolved dispute over Kashmir has increased
uncertainty in South Asia. The U.S National Security Strategy refers to
Pakistan’s contribution as an ally in war against terrorism and
underscores US determination to work with other nations to resolve
regional conflicts.
The study covers transformation from cold war to a system of
unipolarity in which the US has emerged as the sole super power
influencing events in international politics. It also analyzes various
conflicts and new pressure points that have emerged in the post cold war era. Based on the developments that have taken place in the post September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, an assessment has been made
of the impact of new world order on Pakistan. At the end some
conclusions have been drawn and recommendations made to promote
our national interests in the changed international situation.