After the end of the Cold War, globalization accelerated around the world. At the same time, new challenges emerged, including environmental problems, terrorism, economic inequality, and regional conflicts.
Progress in Regional Integration
After the end of the Cold War (the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991), economic regional integration accelerated around the world. In Europe, the European Union (EU) was established in 1993, and the common currency, the euro, was introduced in 1999. In Southeast Asia, ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, established in 1967) developed into an economic community (the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015). However, globalization has also created an uneven distribution of benefits, and growing inequality within and between countries has become serious. Britain’s withdrawal from the EU (Brexit) in 2016 symbolized the backlash against globalization and the revival of nationalism.
Environmental problems: 1997 Kyoto Protocol (developed countries required to reduce CO2) → 2015 Paris Agreement (all member countries set targets)
Terrorism: 2001 9/11 terrorist attacks (al-Qaeda) → U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq → rise of ISIS
Inequality: The richest 1% own more than 40% of the world’s wealth (Oxfam survey)
Infectious diseases: 2020 COVID-19 pandemic
Regional conflicts: Palestine, Ukraine, Myanmar, and others
Environmental Problems and Terrorism
Global warming is one of the greatest global challenges of the 21st century. Serious international negotiations began with the 1992 Earth Summit (Rio de Janeiro), and the 1997 Kyoto Protocol required developed countries to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. However, the framework became ineffective because of factors including the United States’ withdrawal. The 2015 Paris Agreement renewed the framework so that all member countries would set voluntary targets. Meanwhile, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 (in New York and Washington, with approximately 3,000 deaths) led the United States to launch its “War on Terror” and intervene militarily in Afghanistan and Iraq. The intervention deepened regional disorder and contributed to the rise of ISIS (the Islamic State), making the problems even more complex.
Practice
- Give the name of the European regional integration organization established in 1993 and the year in which its common currency was introduced.
- What is the name of the framework concluded in 2015 under which the entire world works to reduce greenhouse gases?
- State the organization responsible for the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and explain the U.S. response afterward.