ABSTRACT
The collapse of the Soviet Union, even though the rapidity of its decline was unanticipated, brought about a general belief that the world would thereafter move on to becoming a more benign and peaceful place in comparison to the competitive years of the Cold War. It was also anticipated that the hegemony of the United States would ensure that the world became and remained a unipolar entity. In an overarching manner, there has been no direct challenge to US primacy in terms of power-projection capabilities; thus, it could be said that the world has indeed moved on to a unipolar state. However, the reality in terms of the security environment that has emerged after two decades is somewhat different. The world is today a much more volatile place as compared to the Cold War era, with even minor nations asserting their will through both overt and covert use of force. Further, the activities of nonstate actors are not exactly a new phenomenon since from the turn of the century these groups have taken centre stage in influencing the security environment.
