1. The Frequent Outbreak of Regional Conflict
Ethnic conflict persists in Palestine, Kashmir, East Timor, the Balkans and throughout Africa. Even though it is over ten years since the end of the Cold War, the seeds of conflict have not yet been eradicated. These conflicts may seem far away from the perspective of life in Japan, but they pose a serious threat to our security, as demonstrated by the events of September 11.

As we enter the 21st century, the international community faces a range of challenges. Coping with the frequent outbreak of regional conflict is one of the most urgent. In recent years attention has shifted from post-conflict response to conflict prevention. However, unfortunately there is a lack of understanding of the concept and substance of conflict prevention in contemporary Japan.

2. The International Community during the Cold War
During the Cold War the world was in the grip of the two superpowers, the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. The world was divided into two blocs – East and West – and conflict was controlled by the Kremlin and the White House. This extraordinary international regime, unprecedented in the history of mankind, supported the nuclear arms race between the two superpowers, exemplified by Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD).

However, at the end of the 1980s the U.S.S.R. collapsed and the Eastern bloc it had sustained disintegrated. The international system of order centered on the two superpowers ceased to function. The post-Cold-War era had begun.

3. The International Community in the Post-Cold-War Era
The post-Cold-War world can be divided into three spheres: the developed sphere, the developing sphere, and the sphere of chaos.

Countries that have been economically successful, such as North America, Western Europe and Japan, can be considered to belong to the developed sphere. Their citizens possess an ultra-modern value system and consciousness of world citizenship in this era of globalization.

Countries such as China, India, Brazil and those of South-East Asia can be considered to belong to the developing sphere. They emphasize nationalism, possess a modern value system that prioritizes a strong military and are motivated by the ideal of "progress".

Finally, countries such as the former Yugoslavia and those of Africa could be considered to belong to the sphere of chaos. These are war-torn or failed states whose government is unable to govern the country. During the Cold War, the system of order centered on the two superpowers kept conflict in these countries in check. However, with the collapse of the U.S.S.R. which brought about the end of the Cold War, tragedy struck Bosnia Herzogovina and Kosovo and conflict broke out in Chechnya like a dormant volcano erupting. These regional conflicts were not confined to Europe: a chain of racial and religious disputes suddenly broke out in Africa and Asia as well, resulting in ethnic cleansing, civil war and refugee flight.

Today, the urgent task faced by the international community is to resolve these regional conflicts. The prevention and resolution of such conflict is a necessary step towards the realization of a stable international community.