The 1989 revolutions in Eastern Europe and Gorbachev's proclamation of a new world order set the tone for high expectations. For a brief time, it looked like some of them would be realized. When Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded neighbouring Kuwait, the Soviet and US representatives jointly denounced his aggression. In early 1991 Operation Desert Storm, initiated by President Bush, became the largest military alliance since the Second World War, although the Soviet Union did not join it. Among Middle Eastern countries, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and even Syria participated, along with 32 other members. But setbacks soon changed the game. In August, the attempted coup that sought to depose Gorbachev - even though it failed - contributed to a rapid dissolution of his authority. Yeltsin, who had resisted the plotters in Moscow during Gorbachev's vacation absence, became the new hero. He had won the free presidential elections of the Russian republic in June with 57% of the vote. In early November Yeltsin banned all Communist party activities on Russian soil. A month later the Ukrainian citizens voted for independence from the Soviet Union. On December 8 the Russian, Ukrainian and Belorussian presidents announced the Union's dissolution and its replacement by the Commonwealth of Independent States. Gorbachev could do little except to resign, which he did on December 17.

Four main international developments dominated the 1990s: the spread of the Internet that created a virtual global community; an emerging multi-polar world order that involved much destabilization; a resurgence of pre-communist resentments that had remained subdued during the Cold War; and a reunited Europe that spurred globalization in the rest of the world. The last two developments conflicted. The biggest manifestation of that conflict became the Yugoslav wars that first erupted in 1991. A ten-day conflict followed the Slovenian declaration of independence in June. Hostilities embroiled Croatia in the fall. By January 1992 most European countries recognized Slovenia's and Croatia's independence. This action, however, did not deter Serbia's attempts to carve out greater territories for their ethnic group. Atrocities followed, including genocidal actions against Muslim minorities. In Africa, the 1994 Rwandan genocide killed approximately 70% of the country's Tutsi population. Hence the early 1990s revealed the downside of the Cold War's end. Nationalistic, ethnic and religious conflicts re-emerged with a vengeance, similar to a pot boiling over. The multi-polar world looked unpredictable and treacherous.

The Western response to the above human disasters turned out to be feeble. Events proved that the United Nations, focused on national sovereignty, were ill-equipped to deal with civil strife. The New World Order increasingly appeared like a mirage. Instead, international anarchy where the right of the stronger prevailed once again, resurfaced. UN forces proved powerless to stop the Rwandan slaughter. NATO involvement finally resolved the situation in the Balkans, with Operation Deliberate Force in September 1995. The Western focus on limited military operations meant that humanitarian relief efforts often fell short. No one thought of organizing any Live Aid concerts for the disintegrating Yugoslavia, much less Rwanda. Gorbachev criticized Western triumphalism in the aftermath of having "won" the Cold War. Winston Churchill advocated determination in war, generosity in victory, and goodwill in times of peace. Decision makers occasionally neglected these principles during the 1990s, partially because a recession early on tightened purse strings. The North-South gap widened, demonstrated by the digital divide. Society at large ended up sleepwalking towards the millennium. The Canadian writer and social philosopher John Ralston Saul described the situation best in his book "The Unconscious Civilization" (1995).