The return of a frostier Cold War

THE Cold War was not supposed to return. It has. A New Cold War (call it the Second Cold War) has broken out between Russia and the West after Russia intervened militarily in Ukraine and annexed the Ukrainian territory of Crimea last year.

Russian actions have had catastrophic effect on diplomatic relations between Moscow and the West. Many in the West perceive Russia asserting itself as a new Soviet-style expansionist empire.

The First Cold War began in 1946 following the turmoil of World War II, and ended in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The US and the Soviet Union never actually waged war during this long chill, but they denounced each other through vast propaganda and ideological campaigns.