Pakistan and Central Asia

Abstract

first and second world war played a dominant role in changing the world political, economic and social organizations. After second world war USSR and USA emerged as the world's super powers. Both countries started spreading their influence over countries that were poor economicaIIy or the countries that had gotten independence from the colonialism. Cold war started between the two super powers. The countries of western Europe established the NATO to stop the Soviet communism, to counter this organization the east European countries made an alliance named Warsaw Pact. The USA setup a Baghdad Pact in Asia to contain Soviet advancement southward in Asia. In south-east Asia SEATO was created to deter expected incursion from China. Baghdad Pact was renamed as CENTO. European Community established the common market named EEC while Russia also, setup an economic union called the COMECON. The CENTO countries created the RCD while the countries of SEATO established the ASEAN (without Pakistan). RCD ceased its existence due to some reasons (explained later). Three member countries of RCD decided to continue the objectives of RCD but under a different name of ECO, established in 1985 . The ECO has been functioning as an economic entity but without the same depth of character and the objectives of EEC and ASEAN. While certainly there have been some gains, these have been limited in scope, not making a significant impact on the overall economic condition of any of the individual nations. The collapse of Soviet Union has had significant economic and political impact across the world . EconomicaIIy, Soviet Union with its Marxist - Leninist dialectic, had offered many third world countries an alternative path to development. PoliticaIIy, it had supported third world liberation movements against colonialism. To sum up briefly, the Soviet Union had acted as a counter to the USA and western Europe. Its coIIapse, therefore, left a void in international politics - a void which has been filled by the USA by default, thus creating a single hegemony both in the political as well as economic fields.