The New Cold War : The United States, Russia, and China From Kosovo to Ukraine

A leading international relations expert uncovers the key stages that led from the end of the Cold War to the War in Ukraine. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, warnings of a new Cold War proliferated. In fact, argues Gilbert Achcar in this timely new account, the New Cold War has been ongoing since the late 1990s. Racing to solidify its position as the last remaining superpower, the US alienated Russia and China, pushing them closer and rebooting the ‘old’ Cold War with disastrous implications. Vladimir Putin’s consequent rise and imperialist reinvention, along with Xi Jinping’s own ascendancy and increasingly autocratic tendencies, would culminate, respectively, in the invasion of Ukraine and mounting tensions over Taiwan and trade. Was all this inevitable? What comes after Ukraine, and what might the contours of a more peaceful world look like? These questions and many others are addressed in this essential book by one of the most seasoned analysts of international relations. With erudition and sobering analysis, Achcar argues that only by understanding this new landscape can we begin to imagine the contours of an alternative, more peaceful world. A leading international relations expert uncovers the key stages that led from the end of the Cold War to the War in Ukraine. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, warnings of a new Cold War proliferated. In fact, argues Gilbert Achcar in this timely new account, the New Cold War has been ongoing since the late 1990s. Racing to solidify its position as the last remaining superpower, the US alienated Russia and China, pushing them closer and rebooting the 'old' Cold War with disastrous implications. Vladimir Putin's consequent rise and imperialist reinvention, along with Xi Jinping's own ascendancy and increasingly autocratic tendencies, would culminate, respectively, in the invasion of Ukraine and mounting tensions over Taiwan and trade. Was all this inevitable? What comes after Ukraine, and what might the contours of a more peaceful world look like? These questions and many others are addressed in this essential book by one... COVER 2 COPYRIGHT 7 CONTENTS 8 LIST OF FIGURES 9 PREFACE 10 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 13 INTRODUCTION: ON COLD WARS AND THE NEW COLD WAR 14 PART I GENESIS OF THE NEW COLD WAR 37 CHAPTER ONE – THE STRATEGIC TRIAD: THE UNITED STATES, RUSSIA AND CHINA 38 CHAPTER TWO – RASPUTIN PLAYS CHESS: HOW THE WORLD STUMBLED INTO A NEW COLD WAR 79 PART II HOW THE NEW COLD WAR GOT QUITE HOT 117 TRANSITION: MOVES AND COUNTERMOVES ON THE GRAND CHESSBOARD 118 CHAPTER THREE – VLADIMIR THE TERRIBLE: AN OPERA IN FIVE ACTS 127 CHAPTER FOUR – CHINA: END OF THE PEACEFUL RISE? 203 CONCLUSION: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? 243 NOTES 260 INDEX 301 BACK COVER 315