The Culture of the Second Cold War - (Anthem Studies in International Security and Sustainability) by Richard Sakwa (Paperback)

About the Book

This title analyses the deeper structures and mindsets of the Second Cold War.

Book Synopsis

This is a relatively short work focusing on the metapolitics - the deeper structures - of the Second Cold War. It is designed to prompt discussion and debate, and thoughtful reflection on the current state of international affairs. The earlier Cold War conflict between communism and capitalism has given way to a more amorphous but, paradoxically, more intense struggle between representations of the political good. There is some analysis of diplomatic history and processes in international politics, but the focus is on the underlying attitudes and ideologies that have generated and sustained Cold War 2.

The work begins with some definitions of a Cold War and whether the term is applicable to the current condition of international affairs. There is also some discussion of the term 'culture' and how it is applied in this study. The fundamental question is why Cold War has returned, after all the hopes after 1989 and the end the First Cold War for a new peace order. The contesting explanations are examined, including perspectives from the 'political West' (the term used to describe the distinctive development of the Atlantic alliance system since 1945), from Russia and China, and later in the work, from the global South.

The work then looks at how this Cold War is being conducted, including renewed militarism, the suppression of dissent, the decline of diplomacy and the reduced opportunities for dialogue. This includes some discussion of 'double standards', applied not in a moralistic way but identified as a structural characteristic of international politics today. The instruments of Cold War 2 include sanctions and the reinterpretation of history and memory wars. Many of the familiar methods drawn from Cold War 1 are now applied, but in novel ways to reflect technological change as well as the different ideological contexts. Information management and communicative wars reach deep into public consciousness. However, Cold War 2 leaves much of the global South cold, refusing to be drawn into a conflict that is perceived to be largely a matter internal to the global North. The work ends with some reflections on possible ways this cold war could end.

Review Quotes

'A brilliantly researched and engaging survey of the disturbing cultural landscape of the new cold war. Professor Sakwa's latest book is the culmination of decades of research on the tribulations of the post-communist era in world politics. In these dark and dangerous times, we need more than ever his scholarship and penetrating insight.'
--Geoffrey Roberts, Member of the Royal Irish Academy, Emeritus Professor of History, University College Cork

'A truly excellent book! Professor Sakwa analyses the evolving culture of the triumphant US-led Political West, which, through its excesses and revisionism, encouraged a Political East to form as a balance. Sakwa recognises that the world is heading towards another Cold War, although cautions that the culture of the new Cold War is vastly different from the former.' --Glenn Diesen, Professor of Political Science, University of South-Eastern, Norway

'An insightful and provocative analysis of how far dominant attitudes in the Political West have strayed from trying to understand other states as the basis for diplomacy.' --Roderic Pitty, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Deakin University

'In this pathbreaking book, Richard Sakwa provides a comprehensive analysis of the origins and evolution of the Second Cold War culminating in the Political West's attempt to turn back the tide of multipolarity and retain its hegemonic status. Among Sakwa's distinctive contributions is his characterisation of the cultural foundations of the Second Cold War. While Cold War I was based on a contest of interest and ideology, the Political West now cultivates an even more extreme cultural narrative with respect to Cold War II that criminalises the "enemy", thereby de-legitimising diplomacy and suppressing domestic dissent while driving continuous economic and military escalation. This important book is a must-read for anyone interested in the contemporary global crisis and its resolution.' --Alan W. Cafruny, Henry Bristol Professor of International Affairs, Hamilton College

'Professor Sakwa's latest book is an invaluable contribution to understanding the reasons for the emergence of Cold War II. He masterfully describes not only the historical antecedents, but highlights the differences between the current Cold War and its twentieth-century predecessor. Essential reading anyone wishing to get to the root of this conflict.' -- Nicolai N. Petro, Professor of Political Science, University of Rhode Island (USA)

'Richard Sakwa brilliantly illuminates the emergence and distinctive character of a second cold war. His lucid analysis is deeply informed by a rich awareness of the history of the earlier cold war constructed around two ideologically antagonistic superpowers poised to annihilate one another with nuclear weapons should either make a false move. Sakwa's originality is vividly expressed by developing the contrast between the two cold wars, the first driven by ideology, the current one by geopolitical ambitions and civilisational diversity. The best guide I know of informed citizen engagement.' -- Richard A. Falk, Albert G. Milbank Emeritus Professor of International Law and Practice, Princeton University

'Richard Sakwa is one of the world's most astute students of Russia and its relations with the outside world. He is at his best in The Culture of the Second Cold War, where he explains how the world ended up in a new cold war when so many thought that the First Cold War, which ended in 1989, would be the last conflict of that sort.' -- John J. Mearsheimer, R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science, University of Chicago

'Richard Sakwa offers a well-informed corrective to the dominant Western narratives of geopolitics since 1989. He demonstrates that in Cold War II it is the political East that stands for plural internationalism, while the Atlanticist West (fuelled by neoconservative hubris and hypocrisy) has taken over elements of the repressive mantle of the Soviet Union it defeated in Cold War I. This original analysis of shifting international relations attends in equal measure to global political economy and to humanity's moral and cultural crises. Sakwa may continue to fall foul of "cancel culture" in some quarters but he should be read carefully by those who seriously care about how to rethink liberal Enlightenment ideals of freedom for a global age.' --Chris Hann, Emeritus Director, Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology

'The emphasis on culture, a neglected aspect of the "new Cold War", makes this book a splendid addition to the literature, especially in the context of understanding the Russo-Ukrainian war.' --Vassilis K. Fouskas, Professor of International History, Politics & Economics, University of East London

It is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the current West-East political divide and, by extension, the broader landscape of contemporary international relations. --International Problems

About the Author

Richard Sakwa is Professor Emeritus of Politics at the University of Kent.