The End of the Cold War and the New Neoliberal Order

Abstract

This chapter outlines the actions and initiatives conducted by the United States at international level during the 1990s, in the context of many areas of high relevance: the establishment of the World Trade Organization, the negotiations for the North American Free Trade Agreement and other important regional agreements, the process of supranational integration in Europe, the economic transition in post-communist countries and structural reforms in developing countries. During these years, the American government played a major role as a regulator, by actively participating in the definition of supranational and international rules. This chapter describes the role played by the United States in shaping the new neoliberal order of the 1990s and the actions implemented in order to take advantage of the changing global system.