156 International Relations Theory of War
All five wars were minor wars, and no central or major wars were fought
during those years. In total, there were five types of territorial expansion.
As the study anticipates, all five, 100 percent of all changes, ended in main-
taining of the territorial status quo preceding the war.
Under the single unipolar system that was assessed, which has lasted
for 24 years in total to date, 1992–2016, there have been two wars involv-
ing the hyperpower. These wars cannot be cataloged as central, major, or
minor wars, because unipolar systems have a single polar power. In total,
two types of territorial expansion occurred. As the study anticipated, both
cases—100 percent of all changes—ended in the territorial expansion of
the polar power.
The preceding table strongly supports the arguments of the study con-
cerning the three possible polarity models. Bipolar systems will dictate to
the polar powers constituting them to maintain the territorial status quo
preceding the outbreak of the wars in which they have participated. Uni-
polar systems will dictate to the polar powers constituting them to expand
territorially at the end of the wars in which they have participated in. Mul-
tipolar systems on the one hand will dictate to the polar powers constituting
them not to expand territorially, to maintain the territorial status quo, or
to contract territorially if their expansion may position them as a potential
hegemon in the system (an outcome that homeostasis opposes), and on the
other hand will allow for their territorial expansion at the end of wars in
which they have participated when these results do not position them as
a potential hegemon in the system (an outcome that homeostasis allows).
A NEW WORLD ORDER?^1
The end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early
1990s led to an optimistic period in international relations. It would seem
that American philosopher Francis Fukuyama’s End of History is mate-
rializing and that human history, which was previously characterized
by struggles between ideologies and different regime forms, has indeed
reached its end.^2 From this point on, the advocates of this approach argue,
we shall be living in a world in which liberal democracy will debut world-
wide without facing any other ideological challenges.
After the 21st century and the third millennium commenced, the 9/11
attacks in 2001 shattered those optimistic forecasts. All at once, it seemed
that the opposing Clash of Civilizations Theory of American political sci-
ence professor Samuel Huntington, which holds a pessimistic view of
the struggle between peoples and civilizations, was more suitable for the
analysis of the global scene.^3
Thus, before the dust from the collapsing World Trade Center settled, the
U.S. foreign policy sharply changed its conduct and started to act based on