Between War and Peace: Systemic Effects and Regional Transitions from the Cold War to the Post-Cold War

摘要

The end of the cold war affected different regional conflicts differently. Some dormant conflicts erupted violently, while other conflicts, violent during the cold war, moved toward peaceful resolution. The contrast between the Middle East peace process and the eruption of war in the Balkans in the 1990s illustrates these trends. During the cold war, the Middle East was one of. the more volatile war zones in the world. In contrast, the Balkans, a region famed for its instability before the two world wars, was relatively stable and peaceful during the same period. In the post—cold war era, the character of both regions changed: an Arab-Israeli peace process is underway, even if haltingly, while conflict and war have returned to the Balkans.