"If we fail, historians may look back at the early post-cold-war period as a tragic loss of opportunities."

The post-cold-war period has also been one of significant global growth.

The percentage of Western budgets devoted to foreign aid fell steadily in the post-cold-war period.

Timing is everything in Europe's helter-skelter rush to arrange itself for the post-cold-war period.

The mutual suspicion has jeopardized some of the greatest diplomatic achievements of the post-cold-war period.

Consider, for instance, a parallel rarely cited in current debates: the one between the post-cold-war period and the age of the French Revolution.

But those familiar with contemporary European styles of thought will recognize something more: an effort to reckon with the collapse of extremities in the post-cold-war period.

The Persian Gulf experience is frequently invoked to justify the expense of upgrading old weaponry in the post-cold-war period.

"Not only is the cold war over," Secretary Powell said, "the post-cold-war period is over."

The United States had a chance to make something brilliant out of the post-cold-war period.