ThePersianGulfWarproducedthewidespreadexpectationthatthe UnitedNations'securitymechanismscouldbefullyactivatedinthe not-too-distantfuture.ThePersianGulfWar,therefore,wasresponsibleforcreatingtheimpressionthatcooperativeglobalsecurity, thoughtheninanascentstage,couldevolveintoapotentandsignificantinternationalsystem.WhentheSovietUnioncollapsedbringing aproclaimedendtotheColdWar,theideapreviouslyspawnedduring thePersianGulfcrisisthatAmericawouldnolongerhavetoassume theroleofworld'spolicemanbecame,howeversuperficially,anacceptedmodeofpoliticalandacademicthinkingintheUnitedStates aswellaselsewhere.Althoughprovingtobetransitory,itseemedthat cooperativeinternationalsecuritywouldreplacethehegemonic strugglesthathaddominatedglobalpoliticsformorethanfourdecades.WhywouldtheUnitedStatescontinuetoembracethiscostly role?WithColdWartensionsgoneandwiththePersianGulfcrisis seeminglydemonstratingthatnationscouldrespondcooperatively wheninternationalsecurityemergenciesappeared,theUnitedStates couldreapthebenefitsofa"peacedividend."EvenJapanappeared willingtorethinkitscompletebanonparticipationininternational peacekeeping.Largelybecauseofgaiastu(foreignpressure)politics

by the United States, the Japanese government passed the Peacekeeping Operations Bill in 1992.