An analytical study of the origins, course, and end of the Cold War. Taking a global overview and emphasizing the Third World as well as the contested regions of Asia and Central America, it includes discussion of: the global distribution of power; the arms race; the world economy; the human and financial costs of the Cold War; key incidents, wars, "actors" and especially "the end". The book should be a valuable introduction to the international state of affairs between 1945 and 1990.