Treść książki

Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
INTRODUCTION
ThecollapseoftheformerSovietUnionandtheendofthecoldwarmarked
thebeginningofanewera.Thefailureofthesystemofeconomicplanning,which
focusedchieflyonheavyindustrialproduction,defenceandspace,whileadvanced
intermsofthelatter,didnotdeliversomeofthestandardsobservedindemocratic
countrieswithmarket-driveneconomiesinrespectofmodernconsumergoods
andservices.Thiswasonefactorthatledthesystemtocollapseinsomerepublics,
thoughitwassufficienttofullyre-openthegatewaytotheWestandtoreintegrate
withthewiderworld.Atthebeginningofthe1990s,thisstimulatedwavesof
regionalintegrationacrosscontinents.Canada,MexicoandtheUScreatedthe
NorthAtlanticFreeTradeAssociation(NAFTA),whileanumberofcountries
fromtheSovietEastblocsignedassociationagreementswiththeEuropean
Unionwithaviewtoobtainingfullmembership.Thiswouldgrantthemfinan-
cialassistanceforinfrastructuredevelopmentaswellaseconomicstabilityvia
co-operationwithEUMemberStatesintermsoftradeandinvestment.Theyalso
joinedtheNorthAtlanticTreatyOrganisation(NATO)inordertobetterprotect
themselvesfromthethreatofwar.NATO’sArticleFiveindicatesthatanattack
ononemembercountryisconsideredanattackonall.Hencetheorganisation’s
commitmenttointernationalpeaceandstabilityisperceivedasaformofsecurity
insurancebyitsmembers.
However,whileincreasedglobalisationhasbenefittedintegratingcountriesin
areassuchasmoreup-to-dateproduction,increasedforeigntrade,technological
transfer,improvedwelfareandalsotheremovalofconstraintsonthefreedomto
travelandworkabroad,theworldhaswitnessedincreasedtensionsandgrowing
numbersofwars.Inthetwenty-firstcenturyalonesomeofthemostnotable
include:theKosovowar(2000),the9/11attacksonNewYork(2001),Afghan-
istan(2001),Iraq(2003),theRussianinvasionofGeorgia(2008),theriseof
Islamicstate(2013),thewaronterrorinIraqandSyria(2014)andtheannexation
ofCrimeaandconflictineasternUkraine(2014).Theseactsofterrorismand
resourcewarsrepresentasmallpercentageoftheoverallglobalpicture.Many
areasoftheworldarefacingincreaseddomestictensions,violence,territorial
divisionsandcontinuedthreatsfromroguestates.