The New Cold War: Global and East Asian Dimensions

The article offers a terminological analysis of the concept of “Cold War,” identifying its essential characteristics and exploring its applicability to the current global situation of 2024, with a particular focus on East Asia. The author posits that the primari criteria of the cold war include the stable dominance of two competing power poles in international relations, the parity of power between the two antagonistic blocs, the total nature of bipolarity, and ideological conflict. The current situation bears certain resemblances to the Cold War era, such as the presence of two economic and military superpowers – the United States and China – engaged in confrontational relations, as well as the coexistence of two opposing groups of states defined by their unconditional acceptance or rejection of US political leadership – the West and the anti-West. However, there are also fundamental differences, including the absence of bloc-based demarcation, the de-ideologization of the confrontation, new forms and methods of competition such as networking and information struggle, as well as a deep historical background of confrontation between the two main poles, which was not present during the original Cold War. The author concludes that the basic criteria of the Cold War are not entirely applicable to the current situation since US-China relations remain at the stage of strategic rivalry. In the meantime, the concept of a “New Cold War” provides an effective tool for fruitful research on international political processes.

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