The Soviet collapse encouraged the belief that the strategic competition behind military readiness had ended. Earlier multipolar systems had produced frequent wars and forced even relatively small forces to redeploy repeatedly across different regions. Some states rejected permanent American primacy without challenging the United States directly. Maintaining a Western-led order required continuing investment by the United States, NATO, and other partners after the Cold War.
Chapter · 12:08-17:30
Why the post-Cold War peace assumption failed
The end of bipolar competition did not guarantee a peaceful unipolar world, especially without sustained allied investment.