THE CONSEQUENCES OF
THE END OF COLD WAR FOR
THE EUROPEAN UNION.
INTRODUCTION:
The cold war has had vast impacts on the society in the
past, today and in future. Cold war has left a legacy that
continues to influence Europe’s affairs. The political role of
the European nations political role is majorly defined by cold
war. Cold war has not only institutionalized the European but
the global commitment to a permanent peacetime and huge
military-industrial complexities and scale military scientific
funding. The precursor of the cold war however conflicts and
will always not easily erased as many of the social and social
tensions that were exploited to fuel cold war competition.
They include the following;
Security legacies.
States with Nuclear-weapons have inherited substantial obligations and costs in guarding
and stabilizing their nuclear forces as well as extensive military storage and staging due to
the potential risk to national and regional security concerns.
Concerns to safeguard technical devices and other nuclear facilities like reactors and
propulsion systems.
Protection of the entire regional military infrastructure that requires commensurate
allocation of huge funds.
Despite end of cold war, deployment of weapons is still ongoing though reduced but still on
defensive alert.
States with Nuclear-weapons have inherited substantial obligations and costs in guarding
and stabilizing their nuclear forces as well as extensive military storage and staging due to
the potential risk to national and regional security concerns.
Concerns to safeguard technical devices and other nuclear facilities like reactors and
propulsion systems.
Protection of the entire regional military infrastructure that requires commensurate
allocation of huge funds.
Despite end of cold war, deployment of weapons is still ongoing though reduced but still on
defensive alert.
INSTITUTIONAL LEGACY.
Measures of national defense in the EU like standing
military, security forces and hardware are the
institutional structures of the government functionality
that are mostly concerns with underlying risks and
attitudes.
Strong impressions have continued to affect national
psyche due to; close encounters with nuclear warfare,
aversion to warfare and cruelty regarding nuclear
threats.
Modification of institutional structures to carry out new
knowledgeable missions associated with storage and
clean-up of highly toxic and dangerous materials.
ECONOMIC LEGACY.
Huge fiscal mortgage have been placed on many domestic European economies. Further
dislocations had to be avoided through financial responsibilities to create a peaceful
environment.
Restructuring of highly dependent institutional framework has been done and new
obligations acquired by the EU nations.
The newly founded EU nations inherited expenses, commitments and resources from which
they were not prepared.
EU nations also found themselves with contemporary national security burdens and
substantial environmental contaminations that requires heavy financing.
MILITARY LEGACY
Localized conflicts and tensions have replaced the former bilateral nuclear confrontations in
the EU nations.
The EU cold war weapons states have slowly reduced their arsenals and ammunitions, also
they have not abandoned their dependency on nuclear deterrence.
Evolution of Europe’s fabric of arms control constraints, this was carried over as a beneficial
heritage with institutional mechanisms for multilateral function and verification.
CONCLUSION
To sum up, cold war is not necessarily catastrophic to growth. While hot wars destroy
economies, cold ones can help them — or at least, don’t destroy them. In the coming times its
expected that;
The European economy will get even worse
Energy prices will rise
Defense spending will rise
More Quantitative Easing will result
Strategic Economies will get Support
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