ABSTRACT

The end of the Cold War transformed the landscape of international politics. Although

everyone might agree that major changes have taken place in the international order,

no consensus has been reached as to which direction the new international order is

heading towards. Two distinct views regarding the current shape of the international

order dominated the discussion. On the one hand, there are people who believe

that a unipolar world headed by the US is the unquestionable reality of today’s

international society. According to this group of people, the collapse of the former

Soviet Union and the Communist states in Eastern Europe signaled the ‘end of the

history’ (Fukuyama 1989), which ushered in liberal-democratic values and ideas

worldwide; on the other hand, there are people who believe that a multi-polar world

in which the US, European Union, Russia, China and Japan are all key players has

taken shape in the post-Cold War era due to globalization and increased interaction

and communication.