The Cold War Never Ended: An Alternative Framework for Understanding Contemporary Global Conflicts
Edited by Tanmayi Patil, Jordan Collinson, Owen Andrews, and Sarah Ahmad
The Fall of the Berlin Wall, the Berlin Crisis, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Space Race, the Iron Curtain, Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan, Ping Pong Diplomacy, the U-2 incident, Perestroika… you get the idea. The Cold War was one of the most overwhelming and intense conflicts in modern history. With moving parts spanning decades, vast amounts of confusion, and mass panic concerning nuclear apocalypse, it's difficult to imagine that it ended just over 34 years ago… or did it? Many scholars argue that the Cold War officially ended on December 26, 1991. However, some critics argue that it never really ended—one could say we’re currently living through it. President Trump’s recent tariffs, Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and China’s escalating overreach into Taiwan beg us to analyze this alternative framework. It is crucial that nations explore this different framework, not only because it provides novel insights into contemporary global conflicts, but because these insights, if applied, have the potential to enhance and ameliorate global democracy.
The Cold War was, or perhaps still is, a long and complex conflict involving the United States, the Soviet Union, and their respective allies. After the Allied Powers defeated the Axis Powers in World War II, there was much debate on how the newly freed countries should run their governments. The Soviet Union sought to establish a buffer zone between itself and Western Europe, thereby setting up leftist and communist-sympathetic governments in Poland, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Albania, and, importantly, later, East Germany. The United States adopted a policy of “containment,” prioritizing the prevention of the spread of communism beyond the U.S.S.R. and its satellite states. Through the Truman Doctrine of 1947, the Marshall Plan, and the Eisenhower Doctrine of 1957, the U.S. shifted away from its pre-World War II isolationist tendencies to provide economic and military aid to vulnerable European and Middle Eastern nations. After winning the Chinese Civil War in 1949, the Chinese Communist Party formed an alliance with the Soviet Union. China supported North Korea during the Korean War in 1950 and made its place known in the global order. The Cold War included many other phases, including (but not limited to) the Sino-Soviet split, Rapprochement, and the Space Race. Eventually, it ended in late 1991 after the Soviet Union dissolved into several republics.
While the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union may have ended on paper in 1991, academics such as American historian Stephen Kotkin urge us to think more broadly. Kotkin argues that events leading up to the official 1991 end were significant—but not as significant as we think they are. For example, he states that while Russia has decreased in size, the collapse in its power was only temporary. He also mentions that the Korean Peninsula remains divided, Russian power has been restored (despite its significant decrease in size), and Germany remains a nonfactor geopolitically. Additionally, US imperialism and neocolonialism still exist, as demonstrated by the Gulf War in Iraq during the early 90s and the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan after 9/11. As Kotkin states, “To argue that the Cold War ended, in other words, is to reduce that conflict to the existence of the Soviet State.” The ripples of the Cold War are still felt by and throughout the entire world, from increased Chinese aggression and escalating tensions between North and South Korea to the horrifically nostalgic notion of impending nuclear annihilation.
The Cold War has shifted primarily from Eastern Europe to East Asia. In early April, China conducted military drills around Taiwan, marking it the fourth time in less than a year. Dubbed “Strait Thunder 2025A,” these exercises indicate China’s growing desire to uphold the One China principle; there is only one China, and Taiwan is a part of it. Taiwan played a significant role during the Cold War, specifically during the Taiwan Strait Crisis of 1954-55 and 1958. Taiwan is a significant U.S. trade partner, particularly in the semiconductor field. A 2023 study found that a disruption to Taiwan’s semiconductor industry could affect as much as eight percent of America’s annual GDP. Additionally, some scholars argue that we are currently in an “AI Space Race.” As artificial intelligence systems become increasingly popular, China and the United States compete to build specialized, smaller AI models. However, the winner of this race will be the country that can channel the power of AI sustainably, an infrastructure that the United States severely lacks.
Furthermore, Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine invokes Cold War tendencies. Putin has cited the collapse of the Soviet Union as “‘the greatest geopolitical catastrophe’ of the 20th century.” Some scholars argue that the war in Ukraine is a proxy war (a war fought between two nations indirectly by supporting third-party nations). The Cold War was a collection of several proxy wars, including but not limited to the Korean War, the Angolan Crisis, and the Congo Crisis. Senior political scientist Jeffrey Hornung states that proxy wars can deviate from their standard pattern. He believes Russia views the target of the war as the West and that Western nations are providing Ukraine with weapons supplies. He also states that Asian nations, such as China, South Korea, Japan, and North Korea, support their respective allies in various ways. For example, North Korea has supplied Russia with ballistic missiles and artillery shells, Japan has provided equipment such as vehicles and reconnaissance drones to Ukraine, and, as of 2024, 90 percent of Russia’s microelectronics come from China. Countries like China and North Korea have a genuine interest in supporting Moscow, similar to how Western countries, Japan, and South Korea have real interests in supporting Ukraine.
It is difficult to believe the Cold War ended just 34 years ago. It is fresh, novel, and misunderstood in our collective memories. Perhaps in a century or two, historians will look back on this epoch and realize that the Cold War never truly ended. Certainly, the global order has undergone a dramatic shift since the early 1990s. Yet, one cannot think about the Cold War without a nagging feeling that it is still ongoing. Escalating tensions between China, the U.S., and Taiwan, as well as the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, force us to open up the past. Despite participating within the Western sphere and global economy, China, Russia, and Iran remain strongly devoted to their ideologies.
Understanding that the Cold War never ended gives us a better sense of our place in history and the impact of the decisions we make today. It allows us to think of our actions as fueled by and part of something old, looming, and deeply rooted. In our modern era, it is more essential than ever to explore how this framework can make sense of our conflicts. With the Trump Administration’s emphasis on an “America First” policy, the rise of AI systems, and unprecedented tension in the Middle East, the ongoing Cold War framework provides us with necessary insights. It tells us that we must cultivate reciprocal, democratic, and proactive relationships with our current and potential allies, prioritize environmentally sustainable and human-centered AI systems, and remember our past mistakes to ensure we don’t repeat them. Above all, exploring the ongoing Cold War framework is a crucial step on our path to survival. It compels us to confront an alternative reality, take actionable steps to mitigate authoritarianism, and foster a future-forward, mutually democratic world.