FRENEMIES TO ENEMIES: HOW INSTITUTIONALIZING GLOBAL SECURITY CONTRIBUTED TO THE POLITICAL-IDEOLOGICAL RIFT THAT EVOLVED INTO THE COLD WAR

Studies on the Cold War often emphasize its inevitability due to the ideological rift between the United States and the Soviet Union, particularly after 1948. This study analyses primary documents to explore the concept of ‘frenemies’ in the United Nations, focusing on two key issues: international military and global disarmament. Findings reveal the existence of three political-ideological camps by early 1946. The first, led by the United States, was internally divided between globalist and militarized approaches. The second was the communist camp led by the Soviet Union, and the third was the imperialist camp led by the UK and France. Each camp envisioned global security institutions aligned with its ideology. Proposals for international military and disarmament threatened these visions, intensifying tensions. By 1947, discussions in the UN polarized the powers and pushed the UK and France to align with the US, solidifying its dominance over Western security models.