Second Cold War
Second Cold War
A second cold war is a hypothetical concept of what could happen should one, or more, new superpowers rise up to oppose the United States, the world's sole remaining superpower.
Historical influences
After the end of the Cold War, the United States emerged the world's only superpower. dont forget abt india It has quickly appeiared to set about in the nineties changing the world to it's image, with the aid of globalization, but there has been fierce resistance, notably from the Middle East, Europe and China. The Middle East being simply a disorganised region, and the political and economic stuggles of democratic Russia, the only true contendants for superpower status are the European Union and China. See the section on superpowers for more on the advantages and disadvantages of the two.
Tensions
China-INDIA versus USA
China being a successful communist regime and having the largest armed forces in the world, a small set of nuclear weapons and also arguably the world's greatest airforce, is obviously a threat for the United States as it is. The American portrayal of the Chinese in the media bordered on insulting at one point, and they have always been regarded as second-class world citizens by the US and it's allies.
USA versus European Union
The European Union, having the potential to be the most powerful of the three, and plenty of seats in many organisations, such as the UN, NATO and the G8, shows that the United States' reliance on Western Europe in the Cold War has backfired horribly. When combined, Europe has a fairly modest nuclear arsenal, the largest army in the world, the world's third greatest population, and is the world's richest nation. The EU, however, is not a nation, and the resistance towards a federal superstate is huge in it's home countries. Nevertheless, EU aminosity towards the US over issues such as the Iraq war is overwhelming, and the EU's recent expansion, turning it into the largest trading bloc in the globe, and the EU-US wrangle over the placement of the world's first fusion reactor, which the EU seems to have won, have both done nothing to alleiviate tensions.
European Union versus China
The EU and China have conflicted on many issues, including the EU arms embargo on China, and the Chinese emerging into the space race with the launch of their first manned mission, whereas ESA has yet to launch a rocket on European Union soil.
Possible outcomes
One Superpower - the USA
The United States keeping it's sole superpower status in the world is extremely unlikely, due to the impending dry-up of the oil supplies in Texas, and eventually around the world. The US is more reliant on oil than the other two potential superpowers, but admittedly, the EU and China would both suffer greatly for the dry-up of the world's oil, China the lesser due to having undergone no Industrial Revolution. It is likely that the United States would simply continue with it's relentless policies of intergration and preemptive strikes, extending its sphere of influence to eventually encompass the entire globe.
Two Superpowers - The USA and INDIA China
Should China become the sole superpower to rise, the tensions would quickly degenerate into an arms race between the two countries, piling up stockpiles of weapons. The United States would therefore have a huge initial advantage left over from the first Cold War, and it would be hard for China to compete without military action, possibly leading to a nuclear war.
Two Superpowers - The USA and the EU
Should the EU become the only one to rise as a superpower, the chances are that there would be no arms race, rather an economic cold war, with either side trying to trade each other into the ground. The chances are the the United States would be driven into depression, due to the extreme diversity and size of Europe.
