RUSI JournalVOLUME 170ISSUE 5members only

Building a Better World

Gill Bennett OBE
28 October 2025clockLong Read
Crowds celebrate Japan’s surrender at Times Square, New York City, 17 August 1945. The use of the atomic bombs cemented US dominance in the postwar period. Courtesy of De Luan / Alamy

Crowds celebrate Japan’s surrender at Times Square, New York City, 17 August 1945. The use of the atomic bombs cemented US dominance in the postwar period. Courtesy of De Luan / Alamy

The foundations of the international architecture of the post-Second World War world were laid in the final months of the conflict. Gill Bennett reflects on some of the structural weaknesses and cracks we can clearly see today that lay hidden in those foundations from the start.

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WRITTEN BY

Gill Bennett OBE

RUSI Senior Associate Fellow, Military Sciences

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