Cold War Ended

 

If someone has to given the credit of ending cold war, than it should be one other than former Russian president Mikhail Gorbachev, who recently died at the age of 91. If we say that cold war was ended in a peaceful way than it's credit should also be given to Gorbachev, because the kind of nuclear weapons Soviet Union and the Europe had, it would be enough to destroy the world. And it's also not object that the powers that raised after this cold war, put an end to the super power like Soviet Union. Soviet Union was the power to stand on the communist ideology. Gorbachev held power in 1985 and Soviet Union was divided in 1991. His agenda was based on just two points "Amendments in the system and Complete independence in Soviet Union", but this agenda was to restore Soviet Union, not to destroy it. Remember that, he was the youngest from communist party who reached this post. Soviet Union was called as an Iron Curtain in the west. First Afghan war started few years before when Gorbachev came in power. Being a underdeveloped economy, Pakistan was greatly affected by that war, because it was very difficult for them to host 70 million refugees all of a sudden and they're still suffering from it's effects. East Europe took the real impact of Gorbachev's amendments, countries which were included in Warsaw pact, the wave of freedom became so huge there that it drowned everything. There weren't any system remained, neither nations nor ideologies, revolts had risen in Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia and most important in East Germany, which was then got out of control even for the super power like Soviet Union. Remember that; at that time, Soviet Union had the most number of hydrogen and atom bombs, and they also had the biggest military but no one could stood in front of the extreme of wave of freedom and an empire like Soviet Union was crushed from its roots after 60 years of its formation. Obviously after that bipolar world became unipolar there was just one super power remained and it was US. 

Actually, Soviet Union consisted of Russia and Central Asian states which came under its domination. Soviet Union followed Mark's philosophy for governance. They got the single party system there and communist party had the power. Which was called as Rule of Proletariat means the government of public, meanwhile real power was held by powerful rich personalities of communist party. Countries which came under the domination of Soviet Union, followed the same rule. In reality, communist party was the center of whole power, whose founder was Karl Marx, after him big names like Lenin, Stalin and Brezhnev made their impact on whole world. Before communists, there was emperor system in Russia, Kings and Queens were called Tsar and Tsarina. Tsar Peter and Tsarina Catherine, these two are very famous among them. They are recognized as honorable conquerors of their time. Russia, Central Muslim Asia and Ottoman empire was involved huge wars time by time. Both empires were dominated by each other in different times. In our country, we are never taught about how Russia defeated the muslims of Central Asia and made them their slaves. After the formation of Soviet Union, these Central Asian Muslim states became the slaves of Russia. Actually their wasn't more than just a province, No matter how different communist system is from the emperor system, but still it has two similarities. Number one, there is no space for not following the communist orders. And number two, no freedom of speech in both the ruling systems. Once, Soviet Prime Minister Khrushchev invited western journalists to come and visit different cities and organizations of Russia. At the end of the visit, Soviet prime minister talked with journalists and gave answer to their questions.  This all happened in a very friendly environment. Meanwhile a journalist said at the end, "Sir, everything is perfect, besides its more than perfect. Truly your country is a super power, just one thing is missing" PM asked, "What is it?" then he replied, "freedom of speech" to which PM replied "No, absolutely not. Every journalist can appreciate the good work of government as per their wish, we have given full freedom. This is the government of public, that's why no work has been done other than for the goodwill of public."

We have heard the heart wrenching stories of oppression from the Central Asian states after their separation from Soviet Union. Soviet Union was established on an ideology, whose direct counterpart was from Western system and whose leadership was in America's hands. If Soviet Union had Warsaw military pact than West got NATO Military Unity. But their major competition was always against Europe and other countries was also affected by it. For example, India always had been a very close friend to Soviet Union. Nehru was the supporter of socialist system, although established western democracy in his own country. Their close friendship could be known from the fact that Soviet Union openly supported India at the time of Dhaka agreement. They were allies of each other in terms of both military and diplomacy. If we see only middle east than Egypt, Syria, Al-Jazair, Libya and many countries have this single party system. Dictatorship was promoted in the name of this, and each leader ruled for over 20 years and made his country go bankrupt. Egyptian Jamal Abdul Nasir, Syrian Hafiz Asad, Iraqi Saddam Hussain and Libyan Colonel Gaddafi all were dictators. Their made up system was called "Socialism", and the socialist party consisted of some of their loyals was always made the ruler. No one could speak a word against them. But after the defeats of Jamal Abdul Nasir from the hands of Israel in different wars loosen the grip of Soviet Union on Middle East. Keep in mind that, Russian president Putin openly supported Bashar al-Assad in Syrian war upto the extent that Russian warcrafts even did bombing on Syrians. And they opposed all those resolutions which were against Bashar al-Assad. 

After Gorbachev came in power, world started observing that Soviet domination is passing, so it diminished the impact of socialism. Cuba was the last country in which Communist rule was held for over 15 years under the leadership of Fidel Castro, But after Castro; Cuba also established friendly relation with US and now people of both the countries can travel in each other's country easily. In real, after last century we have been made fool in the name of freedom. No one clarified that how economies will run after getting freedom?, How public gonna survive?, Who will run the government after dictators?. Now this question must have been raised in our minds that What did Gorbachev actually wants?, What was the purpose of his amendments? maybe his amendments was the reason to disturb the decorom of Soviet Union which ultimately resulted in it's destruction. But Gorbachev's real challenge was falling Soviet economy. On one side, Afghan war created a huge impact on its economy that's why he called back Russian soldiers from Afghanistan and ended the war right after coming into power. And then there is a different fact that, Soviet Union who was being a very good friend to Afghanistan in past, itself started a war there that just ended in August 2021 after the evacuation of US armies. But still Afghanistan looks more like a ruin than a country, and who knows how many years would be needed to get the country back on track. Right now, not a single country has recognized its independent value. Gorbachev's agenda behind calling back his armies from Afghanistan was to reduce the war expenses. But East European and Central Asian states of Soviet Union were in terrible condition. No doubt, Gorbachev was respected more in Europe than in Soviet Union and one of the biggest reason for that is he opened the way towards freedom for Eastern Europe and Central Asian states, which started when Germany got united again, but Gorbachev didn't use to believe in free economy, he always wanted to establish goodwill relationship with the West, that's why his major step was to reduce weapon production and proceeding for ceasefire in wars. He believed in socialist system and he always said that economy should be dealt with as per to this system, but it wasn't possible, because financial virus had gotten up to the roots of Soviet Union by then. Apart from that, the wave of revolt that raised in East Germany and Central Asia after getting freedom, Soviet didn't have enough resources for that and above all satellite era had been started by then, residents of Eastern Europe were watching the lives of their European fellows getting better day by day.

The lesson that the world learnt from the fallen Soviet Union was that economical crisis can bring down the strongest of states, the strongest of empires. That's why this new century started with a new ideology and that's why governments of 21st century are more focused on increasing the quality of life standards. By the way this lesson should be learnt and well followed by the nearest countries to Russia, but China and South-East Asian states took a good lesson from it. That's why this region immediately showed up as one of the most developed regions of the world. America didn't shifted ports to South East Asia for nothing. Many people are judging America's evacuation from Afghanistan on the scale of win or loss, but if we see this according to financial point of view, then we can observe that Central Asia absolutely couldn't able to fulfil all those expectations whose chance were given to them after their independence from Soviet, at first they were tangled in local politics, then no significant steps were taken for the betterment of their economy. This should be happened there, that like South East Asia; each country would be finding different ways of development for other countries but unfortunately it didn't happen. Central Asian states got the Soviet leftover technologies, but they confined themselves for just oil and gas. Now not a single Central Asian state can be represented as the fine example of development. CPEC was started to provide gateway to these states, but if there isn't any development there than what's the point of providing gateway. And second example is of Afghanistan, that America spent 17 18 billion dollars every year there, but they didn't utilize a single penny of it in a beneficial way. When it became obvious that America is about to leave, at least then they should had been taken some steps for the betterment of their people. Now why a developed country is gonna invest there when there is not even basic structure present there, and winters and summers both have become a headache. Arab countries which were famous for spending petrol and dollars here until last century are now hesitates in even taking the name of Kabul. Soviet Union have started a very long war of Afghanistan kind. President Putin who was very confident about the Ukraine war at the beginning is now trying hard to find his way out of this pit. But remember that Ukraine is not Afghanistan, it's Europe, so what if they have their boundaries attached with Russia. Putin is dreamin gof reviving of old Soviet Union, but world is already seeing that what kind of greatness they are heading towards.   

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