This is in fact what drove most European wars in the past. By reverting back to that system, Europe placed itself in the path of potential skirmishes as seen in previous generations, "Europe is reverting to a state system that created powerful incentives for aggression in the past," (Mearsheimer "Why We Will Soon Miss the Cold War" 1990:1). Smaller powers, now with a stronger more independent voice, have a greater potential of starting conflicts on their own, both within Europe and outside the region. Without the strong united front against the Easter Soviet powers, the smaller powers within Europe itself are free to break away and potentially start their own troubles elsewhere; "Without a common Soviet threat or an American night watchman, Western European states will do what they did for centuries before the onset of the Col War -- look upon one another with abiding suspicion," (Mearsheimer "Why We Will Soon Miss the Cold War" 1990:1). Yet, fortunately this has not been the case so far in post-war Europe. Years after the end of the Cold War, the European Union has once again replaced a sense of unity and common goal within the multitude of European powers, hopefully keeping the region stable.
However, other regions have not been so lucky. One region which has seen great instability since the decline of major European power after the end of the Cold War has been the Middle East. During the Cold War, much of the Middle East was pitted against one side or the other, serving as pawns within the larger struggle that really had little to do with them. In Afghanistan, American forces helped the local government fight off the Soviets and vice versa occurred in Iraq. However, when the Cold War ended, that stable source of protection, arms, and money was no longer...
For instance, Saddam Hussein had continuously relied on the Soviet Union to bail him out of trouble, for the Soviets had great interest in protecting their interests in the oil rich region. However, Saddam "made a major miscalculation in annexing Kuwait; he placed Iraq on a collision course with the West at a time when the Soviet Union was no longer able or willing to bail out Iraq," (Sayigh & Shlaim 1997:286). Thus, thanks to the lack of backing European power, the Middle East has also seen instability thanks to mulitpolarity.
Despite the peace the end of the Cold War brought, it also came with great instability both inside Europe and elsewhere. Even after the wall was torn down and the Iron Curtain dismantled, there are still remnants of the war which continue to cause conflict and instability all over the world. Like most major past conflicts, the international community will be dealing with these remnants for generations to come.
References
Mearsheimer, John J. (1993). "Back to the Future: Instability in Europe After the Cold War." The Cold War and After: Prospects for Peace. Ed. Lynn-Jones, Sean M. & Miller, Steven E. MIT Press.
Mearsheimer, John J. (1990). "Why We Will Soon Miss the Cold War." The Atlantic Online. August 1990. Retrieved August 19, 2009 at http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/foreign/mearsh.htm
Norman, R.L. (2002). "The Cold War and the Middle East from 1945 to 2001, 911 in a Historical Perspective." Southern Domains. Retrieved August 19, 2009 at http://www.southerndomains.com/SouthernBanks/cwar.html
Sayigh, Yazid & Shlaim, Avi. (1997). The Cold War and the Middle East. Oxford University Press.
