ABSTRACT
In the 18 years that have elapsed since the end of the Cold War, the international system has been torn by the eruption of more inter- and intra-state conflicts than was the case during the previous half-century-long standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union. Ranging geographically from the Balkans and sub-Saharan Africa to the Middle East and Asia, the proliferation of conflicts in the post-Cold War era is attributable to a variety of causes, including the pursuit of traditional geopolitical interests and the resurgence of age-old ethnic and religious rivalries. A common thread linking such conflicts is the need to stabilize and then rebuild a state or broader region involved in a given war once hostilities have come to a conclusion.
