Creating global security: Japan as a potential catalyst

The prospect of achieving genuine world peace was the major expectation stemming from the cold war’s end. Tom by the ideological rift that fueled the cold war, the United Nations (UN) suddenly became cast in an entirely new political light, one that included markedly increased security responsibilities for the UN. But the post-cold war period, thus far, continues to be marked by outbreaks of regional conflicts and civil wars. And at a time when it is difficult to justify them, nuclear weapons still are in abundance, and recent nuclear testing by both China and France serve as stark reminders of the tentativeness of global security. Additionally, the United States, in particular, has backed away from this hoped-for UN security role. ¹