After the Cold War, the world has taken on a complex appearance in which unipolarity, multipolarity, and division are mixed together. Global challenges and diverse conflicts shape the modern world.
Basic Knowledge
After the end of the Cold War, the WTO (World Trade Organization) was established in 1995, expanding free trade. Through the ICT revolution (information and communications revolution), the Internet spread, and the world became integrated at an unprecedented speed (globalization). China joined the WTO in 2001, continued growing at around 10% per year, surpassed Japan in 2010 to become the world's second-largest economy by GDP, and is now the second-largest economic power after the United States. On September 11, 2001, in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, al-Qaeda crashed passenger planes into the World Trade Center Twin Towers and the Pentagon, killing about 3,000 people. Under the administration of George W. Bush, the United States fought the War in Afghanistan (2001-21) and the War in Iraq (2003-11), making the war on terror a global issue. In 2008, the Lehman Shock, originating in the United States, caused a global financial crisis.
2001 9/11 terrorist attacks, War in Afghanistan
2003 War in Iraq
2008 Lehman Shock
2010-12 Arab Spring (Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria)
2015 SDGs adopted, Paris Agreement
2016 British referendum on leaving the EU, Trump elected president
2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Britain formally leaves the EU
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
2023 Hamas surprise attack → Gaza War
In Depth (Background and Effects)
From 2010 to 2012, democratization movements known as the Arab Spring spread through the Middle East and North Africa. Dictatorial regimes fell in Tunisia (Jasmine Revolution), Egypt (collapse of the Mubarak regime), and Libya (killing of Colonel Gaddafi), among others. In Syria, however, the civil war between the Assad regime and opposition forces became prolonged, producing a refugee problem and the rise of IS (Islamic State). In 2014, Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula, and on February 24, 2022, it began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The G7 imposed economic sanctions on Russia. On October 7, 2023, a surprise attack on Israel by Hamas began the Gaza War, and the humanitarian crisis continues. Global challenges such as climate change, pandemics, AI, inequality, and cyberwarfare have increased. In 2015, the United Nations adopted the Paris Agreement (measures against global warming) and the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). This is an era in which multipolarity and division are advancing at the same time.
- WTO established = 1995, expansion of free trade
- 9/11 terrorist attacks = September 11, 2001
- War in Iraq = 2003-11, collapse of the Hussein regime
- China becomes the world's second-largest economy by GDP = 2010 (surpassing Japan)
- Arab Spring = 2010-12, collapse of dictatorial regimes
- Annexation of Crimea = 2014, invasion of Ukraine = 2022
- SDGs adopted = 2015 (17 goals, to be achieved by 2030)
- British referendum on leaving the EU (Brexit) = 2016, formal withdrawal in 2020
Points to Note (Easily Confused)
① The Gulf War (1991, against Iraq's invasion of Kuwait) and the War in Iraq (2003, suspicions about weapons of mass destruction, collapse of the Hussein regime) were different wars. ② Afghanistan experienced two interventions by major powers: the Soviet invasion (1979-89) and the U.S. invasion (2001-21). ③ Brexit refers to Britain's withdrawal from the EU (established in 1993), decided by referendum in 2016 and completed in 2020. ④ The SDGs (adopted in 2015, to be achieved by 2030, 17 goals) and the Paris Agreement (2015 COP21, global warming) were different frameworks despite both being established in 2015.
Practice
- What was the name of the event that occurred in the United States on September 11, 2001?
- State the abbreviation and number of goals of the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015.
- Which country did Russia begin invading on February 24, 2022?