একমেরু ব্যবস্থা
Unipolar System
The inevitable consequence of the end of bipolarity was the emergence of a unipolar world order. With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Cold War came to an end. Since the end of the Second World War, global politics had been shaped by rivalry between the capitalist Western bloc led by the United States and the socialist Soviet Union. This competition for global influence had created a bipolar world system. However, with the collapse of the Soviet system, this rivalry ended, and no rival superpower remained to challenge the United States. International political experts described this new world order as unipolarity.
After the fall of the Soviet Union, the United States became unrivaled in world politics. The entire global system came largely under its influence. Regardless of the controversies surrounding American foreign policy, there was no major power capable of challenging it, whereas during the Cold War a balance had existed between the two superpowers.
The massive victory of the United States against Iraq in the Gulf War of 1990–91 greatly increased American confidence and aggressive assertiveness. Continuous additions to the U.S. military arsenal further strengthened its prestige. The success of the Patriot missile system and the development of other advanced technological weapons established overwhelming American military dominance. From this period onward, the tendency among Third World countries to purchase American weapons increased enormously. Through arms sales, Washington gained unexpected additional advantages.
In this new world order, apart from the United States, only wealthy nations enjoyed importance and respect. Poor and developing countries became largely neglected. The United Nations, to a great extent, turned into an instrument influenced by the United States. In order to strengthen its hegemony, America attempted to use institutions such as the World Bank, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as well as economic concepts like globalization and liberalization, according to its own interests.
In conclusion, it may be said that in this new world order the United States did not hesitate to adopt even highly controversial measures to establish and maintain its supremacy. It prepared lists of friendly and hostile states and frequently misused its power to weaken enemy states. Examples include the destruction of Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and the curtailment of Afghanistan’s independence. Ignoring democratic norms and principles, the United States sought to transform independent and sovereign countries into pro-American states while ensuring that no anti-American opposition could emerge there. For this reason, countries such as North Korea and Iran came to be labeled by the United States as part of the “Axis of Evil.”
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