In November 1990, George Bush made it official. “The Cold War is over,” the president proclaimed in Paris, finally echoing what had been Mikhail Gorbachev's refrain for more than a year. From a historical perspective, one might question the now-pervasive use of the term “Cold War” to embrace the whole post-1945 era. It is perhaps more correct to talk about alternating phases of Cold War and detente within an overall Soviet-American antagonism—hence, for instance, the growing use of the term “the First Cold War” to refer to the period from roughly 1947 to 1953.

Despite these caveats, it seems reasonable to claim that what might be labeled “the era of Cold Wars” has come to an end. Unlike previous phases of detente, such as the early 1970s, there has of late been a fundamental shift in the structure of international relations. Particularly notable has been the dismantling of the Soviet bloc in Eastern Europe, the collapse of communism in this area, and the demise of the Soviet Union. These are changes that would require nothing less than another war to reverse. At the same time, the unification of Germany has redrawn the map of Europe and clearly marks the end of an era. The reemergence of Germany suggests immediately one probable consequence of the new international situation for our understanding of the history of American foreign policy. The impetus toward “depolarization” of the origins of the Cold War will surely be intensified.