Why We Are Heading For A Second Cold War (Essay Example)

Tick-tock, tick-tock, it is one hundred seconds to midnight. The anticipation is high as the seconds pass by, but when those hands reach the fateful position of twelve, we say goodbye. New Year's Eve may come to mind, but the scenario I am referring to is a far more sinister and far less joyous one. When the hands of the Doomsday clock reach midnight, it signals the end of life as we know it as humanity reaches the point of self-destruction through nuclear war. After the Second World War, the “fear-filled” atmosphere of the battlefield was present again with the first Cold War. With tensions between the USSR, China and the West almost boiling over, it was a stark reminder that the nations were still far from tranquillity. Peace. What an insignificant word by appearance, but one that holds so much power and plays on our minds today. Have we achieved it yet? Will war break out again? These two questions will be the focal point of my essay as I question whether we are heading for or are even already in a second Cold War. With hostility rising again between the nations, is it almost inevitable that we will hear the dreaded sound of the Doomsday Clock striking midnight?

The initial Cold War between the USA and the USSR was a war of threat, fear, and one-upmanship. The powers did not fight directly but instead funded proxy wars that devastated Asia and parts of Africa claiming lives from all over the globe. It was an indiscriminate war with the cruel hands of battle leaving no corner of the world untouched. War is not selective, no one is safe, which is why the threat of another is such a terrifying prospect. The official definition of a Cold War describes it as ' a state of extreme unfriendliness existing between countries, especially countries with opposing political systems, that expresses itself not through fighting but political pressure and threats.' Is that not what we have today? Threats from Russia and China have become the uncomfortable norm for us all, so why is it that we are so reluctant to see these threats for what they are? We did 80 years ago, so why not now? What has changed in the relationships between the West and the East?

There were several causes of the initial Cold War, with the main three being antagonistic ideologies, the nuclear arms race, and differences in opinions in the splitting up of Germany. The West represented a free way of life as it held democracy in the highest esteems; they also followed the far less restrictive capitalist beliefs. In comparison, the former Soviet Union was communist and placed severe restrictions on many aspects of daily life like business, communications, and politics. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 many citizens thought that they could finally see a sliver of hope at the end of the red tunnel that had entrapped them for so long. However, many Soviet policies have remained in Russia, the prime example of this regarding the politics of the country. On the surface, the Russian government follows the principles of democracy yet if you were to search further ‘many regard it as a dictatorship built around one man, President Vladimir Putin, who has been the leader of the Russian Federation since the year 2000.’ Even though the “one-party” communist policy no longer stands; no one has overthrown Putin. Nonetheless, this is unsurprising as he is a man who rules by fear which is reminiscent of his predecessors Stalin and Khrushchev.

In recent years, the Russian political system has caused much friction between itself and the West. Many countries have expressed their dislike for the lack of actual democracy amid accusations of electoral fraud and favouritism. This year we have once again seen Putin, like his predecessors, attempt to silence those who rise against him. As one newspaper reported, 'a Moscow court has sentenced Alexei Navalny to two years and eight months in a prison colony in a landmark decision for Vladimir Putin’s crackdown on the country’s leading opposition figure.’ It is clear to see an easy comparison between Putin’s politics and those of his Cold War forerunner’s. Furthermore, similar conclusions are drawn up over Russia’s handling of Crimea. During the initial Cold War, how Russia wanted to deal with Germany completely contradicted the Western approach. Similarly, Russia dealt with Crimea in a way that sparked outrage across the globe as they surreptitiously annexed Crimea in a way that was both illegal and unnecessarily violent. It is most definitely apparent that Russia is reverting to its extreme past whilst leaving a path of destruction in its wake, causing tensions to rise.

Russia is not the only country whose relationship with the West is precariously balanced. China has the fastest-growing economy as its GDP increases by an average of 10% a year. A helpful ally and trading partner on the surface with trouble brewing beneath. During the Cold War, the malevolent dictator Mao Zedong led China. Like its neighbour, Russia, China has also had its problems with the West as many of the teething points in the initial Cold War are still not solved. Over the past couple of years, we have seen many parallels with the initial rivalry over Hong Kong. A former British territory Hong Kong has been the site of much turbulence due to Britain, China, and Japan fighting over this vibrant island. In the past year, we have seen heavy rioting and violence erupting over the region. We were shocked by the tales of excessive violence towards the protesters. All because the government does not want to lose face. Their fears are like those of their Cold War past. Like their Russian counterparts, China has no regrets about enforcing its law as demonstrated; “Seven Hong Kong democracy activists were sentenced to up to 16 months in jail for their role in an unauthorised assembly at the height of anti-government protests in 2019. They had pleaded guilty to charges, including organising and inciting others to take part in the illegal assembly on 20 October 2019, when tens of thousands took to the streets and police fired teargas and water cannon to disperse them.” Something that is often not reported is that China is still under the restrictive leadership of the Chinese Communist Party. Was Communism not the cause of most if not all the Cold War tension? Have leaders not stated that Communism is a threat?

Hence, to conclude, I think it is clear to see that we are on the brink of a Second Cold War as there is indisputable evidence that the conditions of the initial Cold War are very much present today. Russia and China still follow communist ideologies which strongly oppose those of the West which causes much friction between the powers. Both Russia and China have been rapidly expanding their nuclear arms programs much to the dismay of Western leaders. Finally, there have been several between nations involving Crimea and Hong Kong mirroring those over Germany in the initial Cold War. As Sting once said ‘I hope the Russians love their children too’; if not then the seconds will continue to pass by and soon the eerie chimes of the Doomsday clock will ring in our ears.