The End of the Post–Cold War Era and the Return of Hard Power

After 1991 the post–Cold War international order was built on U.S. primacy, liberal institutions, and the expectation of a durable peace in Europe. U.S. strategy documents from 1992 onward (e.g. the leaked Defense Planning Guidance) explicitly foresaw an “unchallenged supremacy” for America and a liberal order topped by the United States.

American policymakers sought to “cultivate an open, democratic order in which [the U.S.] remained firmly atop the international hierarchy” . In practice this meant NATO remained central: the alliance was expanded eastward to lock in Europe’s security under U.S. leadership .

This analysis answers: How did the post-1991 order built on U.S. primacy, liberal institutions and the expectation of durable peace in Europe take shape? How did U.S. strategy documents from 1992, including the leaked Defense Planning Guidance, articulate a vision of 'unchallenged supremacy' and a U.S.-topped liberal order? What role did NATO's centrality and eastward expansion play in locking in Europe's security under U.S. leadership? What does the return of hard power imply for the assumptions of the post-Cold War era and Europe's strategic outlook?