A Comparative Analysis of Security Issues in the Cold War and Beyond

This essay provides a comprehensive analysis of security issues, comparing and contrasting the challenges faced before, during, and after the Cold War. It delves into international security concerns, conflicts, lack of security agreements, border tensions, and military issues that characterized the pre-Cold War era. The essay then transitions to post-Cold War security issues, including interstate conflicts, human security threats, transnational terrorism, environmental concerns, and civil wars. A comparative analysis highlights the evolution of political disagreements and the impact on international relations, emphasizing the importance of maintaining global peace and harmony through bilateral talks and cooperation. The essay concludes that security issues persist, necessitating continuous efforts to foster understanding and prevent future conflicts.

Essay

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY.................................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION...............................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Cold War refers to a period of ideological and geopolitical tension which was there
between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies. Thus this led towards
the creation of a lot of problems and issues between these nations and affected their relations
badly for a long-period of time (Dower and et.al., 2021). There were a lot of security issues
during this particular period of time. There were security issues before the Cold War as well as
after the Cold War. In this Essay, a detailed focus will be made on the Comparison and Contrast
of the Security Issues before the Cold War and after the Cold War.
MAIN BODY
Security Issues before the Cold War-
International security issues- There were International security issues between the
States on which the agreement could not be made. Therefore, this led towards a lot of disputes
between the Nations and ultimately led towards the start of the Cold War (Edelman and Young,
2020).
Conflicts- There was various types of conflicts between the nations which led towards
creation of a lot of problems and issues between the nations. Thus, in this way this led towards
creation of disagreement between the nations and ultimately led towards the start of the Cold
War.
Lack of security agreements- The Nations in conflict with each other during the Cold
War Period suffered a lot due to the lack of security agreements which affected them a lot.
Therefore, in this way this created a lot of disagreements between these countries and thus led
towards the start of a Cold War.
Border tensions- There were Border tensions between the Nations during the Cold War
Period. As these could not be resolved through bilateral talks, it started the Cold War between
these nations (Hewison, 2020).
Lack of implementation of security policies- There was a lack of implementation of
security policies which created a particular level of impact on the Nations during the Cold War
Period. Therefore, in this way it can be said that this has affected the countries that were in
conflict with each other and thus has impacted their policy-making and decision-making a lot.
Military issues- There were a lot of Military issues which affected a lot of Nations
during the Cold War Period. Thus, in this way it can be said that this has affected these nations a
lot and ultimately when the tensions between them were not resolved this led towards the start of
a Cold War between these nations (Matsuda, 2020).

Lack of adoption of a right approach- There was lack of adoption of a right approach
during the Cold War Period which therefore created an impact on both of the Nations. Therefore,
it can be said that this has affected the nations a lot and therefore has led towards the start of the
Cold War between them.
Lack of implementation of proper strategy- This is a major issue which has affected
the decision-making of nations during the Cold War Period and therefore in this manner this
resulted in creation of a wide range of problems and issues related with the implementation of
strategies of the nations in this manner. Therefore, this was an important security issue just
before the Cold War Period.
Dominance by certain countries- There was dominance which was created by certain
countries in the Pre-Cold War Era. This was due to the reason that these countries wanted to
ensure that they were able to dominate the other countries during this period by capturing their
land. Therefore, in this way it can be said this created a very important security issue just before
the Cold War Period (Mobrand, 2020).
Lack of clear security policies of the countries- There was a lack of clear security
policies of the countries during the Pre-Cold War Period. Thus, due to this reason a lot of
security issues were created between the countries and thus this has impacted the relations
between these countries. The relations were affected due to a lack of clear understanding
between them. When the relations could not be mended through bilateral talks and meetings this
created a particular level of impact on both of these countries and when the differences could not
be resolved this lead towards the start of a Cold War between both of them.
Security issues after the Cold War-
Interstate Conflict- Interstate Conflict remains a threat even after the completion of
Cold War. This is so because there if there are certain unresolved issues between the nations then
this type of conflict can be created. Therefore, it can be said that the security issues can be
created due to such type of conflict and this can definitely create a particular level of impact
between the relations between the different countries. This remains a challenge for all the nations
during the Post-Cold War Period and it has to be resolved appropriately (Oren and Brummer,
2020).
Human Security- Human Security remains a threat for the countries as due to Cold War
there are various types of threats which create a particular level of impact on the human beings
living in the various countries. Thus, this is a major issues on which the Government of the
countries should be able to focus on which will definitely create an impact.
Transnational Terrorism- Transnational Terrorism remains a very big threat for the
different types of countries and therefore this is quite a major issue which is creating an impact
on these countries in particular. Therefore, it can be said that the Government is required to make

sure that it is able to deal with the concerns related with Transnational Terrorism quite strictly
which will be helpful in alleviating this problems and will help in maintaining peaceful relations
between the countries in the Post Cold War Period.
Human Security and Environmental Concerns- There are issues related with Human
Security and Environmental Concerns in the countries in the Post Cold War Period. This is due
to the reason that such types of concerns are affecting the people a lot in the countries during this
period.
Troublesome relations between some countries- Post the Cold War Period, there have
been troublesome relations between some countries. This is creating a concern because the
different countries are not able to maintain proper relations with each other due to a lot of
differences which are not resolved between them. Therefore, in this way it can be said that this is
impacting the International relations badly and is impacting the image of the countries that are in
conflict with each other (Ottersbach, 2021).
Bad political relations- Post the Cold War Period bad political relations were created
between the countries. Therefore, in this way it can be said that this is creating a lot of impact on
them. Thus, in this way it can be said that the International image of the countries is affected as a
result and this affects their relations (Rajagopal, 2020).
Civil Wars- Post the Cold War Period there have been certain Civil Wars between some
of the countries in the world. Therefore, in this way it can be said that these wars are affecting
the countries as it is increasing burden on their resources. Also, global peace is also impacted as
a result of these wars which are not good for the purpose of maintaining global harmony.
Increase in Uncertainty- Post the Cold War Period there has been a substantial increase
in uncertainty level which has affected the security of the countries badly. The countries are
uncertain because there is always an imminent threat of war in the world. Also bilateral talks and
relations between various countries in the world have been affected as a result which is creating
an impact on the organizations. This affects the global relations between the countries and also
affects the peace and harmony in the world.
Impact on International Politics- Post the Cold War Period the International Politics
has also been impacted a lot because there has been change in the policies as well as the decision
of some of the countries regarding the security issues. Therefore, in this way it can be said that
the Countries are now uncertain about war and thus this is affecting the relations between some
countries.
Lack of stability in International relations- Post the Cold War Period, there has been a
complete lack of stability in international relations of some of the countries. Thus, in this way it
can be said that due to the influence of this particular reason the security threat has increased for
these particular countries.

Comparison and Contrast-
Through the use of Comparison and Contrast, it can be stated that there were security
issues before the Cold War and there are security issues after the Cold War. Thus, in this way it
can be stated that the security issues have not been fully resolved even after the Cold War is
over.
The reason for this is that there is a lack of understanding between countries on the
various types of issues which is leading towards such problems and issues. Due to the influence
of this particular reason, the problems and issues have increased a lot and this is creating a lot of
impact on the countries (Robinson, 2021).
From the study of both the Security Issues prior to the start of the Cold War and the
Security Issues after the start of the Cold War, it can be stated that there have been a lot of
political disagreements between the countries. However, the relations between the United States
and Soviet Union have improved through efforts made by both of the countries. The bilateral
relationship between US and Russia has improved which has ensured that both of these countries
are able to maintain their ties in a proper manner.
However, it can be said that the conflicts are still present between the countries and this
affects their International Relations because this increases the threat of war which is therefore not
good for the relations to be maintained with the required peace and harmony. Therefore, it can be
said that the Government of the countries is required to make the required efforts here so that the
peace and harmony can be maintained in the right manner.
Therefore, the conclusion is that the security issues are still present even after the
completion of Cold War. Therefore, it is essential that the nations are able to hold bilateral talks
and thus try their best in order to maintain the global peace and harmony. This will be helpful in
ensuring that the nations are able to have cordial relationships with each other. The improvement
in the relations between US and Russia after the Cold War Period is an indication in itself that
through maintaining the right relationship both of these countries are able to make sure that they
can progress towards the attainment of goals and objectives related with the global peace and
harmony in the right manner (Tadem, 2020).
Also, it can be said that the time period before the Cold War and the time period are
totally different from each other and therefore the countries are required to make sure that they
can consider all the aspects which are related with the Cold War so that such a situation does not
happen once again. This will be crucial for the purpose of ensuring the war-like situation can be
avoided and the relationships are maintained properly between the countries. Therefore, it is a
requirement from the Government of the countries that the substantial efforts are made in this
regard.

CONCLUSION
From the above essay, it can be concluded that there are various security issues which
were present before the Cold War and are present even after the Cold War. Thus it is quite
necessary that Comparison and Contrast of these issues can be carried out which will be helpful
in developing a proper understanding about them in the right manner. The understanding about
the International Relations of the countries and the way in which these relations are required to
be maintained can be developed so that the management of these relations is carried out
appropriately in a proper manner.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Dower, C. and et.al., 2021. Did the Cold War Produce Development Clusters in Africa?.
Edelman, R. and Young, C., 2020. Introduction: Explaining Cold War Sport. In The Whole
World Was Watching (pp. 1-26). Stanford University Press.
Hewison, K., 2020. Black Site: The Cold War and the Shaping of Thailand’s Politics. Journal of
Contemporary Asia. 50(4). pp.551-570.
Matsuda, T., 2020. Explaining Japan’s post-Cold War security policy trajectory: maritime
realism. Australian Journal of International Affairs. 74(6). pp.687-703.
Mobrand, E., 2020. More than anti-communism: the cold war and the meanings of democracy in
Taiwan. Journal of Contemporary Asia. 50(4). pp.618-634.
Oren, E. and Brummer, M., 2020. Reexamining Threat Perception in Early Cold War
Japan. Journal of Cold War Studies. 22(4). pp.71-112.
Ottersbach, S., 2021. Cold War Social Sciences beyond Academia? Radio Free Europe and the
Transnational Circulation of Cold War Knowledge during the “CIA Years,” 1950–1971. In Cold
War Social Science (pp. 99-124). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Rajagopal, A., 2020. Communicationism: Cold War Humanism. Critical Inquiry. 46(2). pp.353-
380.
Robinson, A. E., 2021. Attempting neutrality: Disciplinary and national politics in a Cold War
scientific controversy. Centaurus. 63(1). pp.84-102.
Tadem, T. S. E., 2020. The Emergence of Filipino Technocrats as Cold War “Pawns”. Journal of
Contemporary Asia. 50(4). pp.530-550.