Garrett 대 희 “Dae Hee” Edmark 

Aug. 21, 2023, 7:09AM 

A Thirst for Power

PROFESSOR IONET CATALIN POPESCU PHD: What lessons learned, and parallels could you draw from the development and ending of the Cold War for the present day? 

GARRETT 대 희 “DAE HEE” EDMARK: At the root of every state is the cacoethes of stability and safety. The term cacoethes has been extinct since the 1600's but roughly translates to "an insatiable desire with a complete disregard for the ethics, health or consequences." Meaning, whether a state has the worst military or the best military, the state will disregard all consequences chasing stability and safety despite it being unattainable. The Cold War best explains the phenomena of the natural cacoethic state. Russia will do anything necessary to preserve itself, in the same way the United States will do anything necessary to preserve itself. Despite these world powers housing the biggest militaries worldwide, safety and security was/is never achievable due to the competitive nature of state building. While Russia held a (near) peerless presence within Europe post World War II, The United States' growth following the first and second world wars saw the US grow into their place as a rival in power and economic/political ideology to the communists. With tensions between Russia and the United States high, it mirrors that of the climate present during the Cold War. The biggest lesson to be taken away and applied into present time is the necessity of certainty.  The sentiments shared from the perspective of a Russians and Americans are similar in regard to an overwhelming sense of general Nationalism and civilian fear. The Cold War was fought on the grounds of world power paranoia. The Bay of Pigs invasion serves as a perfect example of this, many Cubans and Americans were killed or injured at the hands of paranoid uncertainty in pursuit of stability.

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