<P> The Cold War continues to influence world affairs . The post-Cold War world is considered to be unipolar, with the United States the sole remaining superpower . The Cold War defined the political role of the United States after World War II--by 1989 the United States had military alliances with 50 countries, with 526,000 troops stationed abroad, with 326,000 in Europe (two - thirds of which in west Germany) and 130,000 in Asia (mainly Japan and South Korea). The Cold War also marked the zenith of peacetime military--industrial complexes, especially in the United States, and large - scale military funding of science . These complexes, though their origins may be found as early as the 19th century, snowballed considerably during the Cold War . </P> <P> Cumulative U.S. military expenditures throughout the entire Cold War amounted to an estimated $8 trillion . Further nearly 100,000 Americans lost their lives in the Korean and Vietnam Wars . Although Soviet casualties are difficult to estimate, as a share of their gross national product the financial cost for the Soviet Union was much higher than that incurred by the United States . </P> <P> In addition to the loss of life by uniformed soldiers, millions died in the superpowers' proxy wars around the globe, most notably in Southeast Asia . Most of the proxy wars and subsidies for local conflicts ended along with the Cold War; interstate wars, ethnic wars, revolutionary wars, as well as refugee and displaced persons crises have declined sharply in the post-Cold War years . Left over from the Cold War are numbers stations, which are shortwave radio stations thought to be used to broadcast covert messages, some of which can still be heard today . </P> <P> However, the aftermath of the Cold War is not always easily erased, as many of the economic and social tensions that were exploited to fuel Cold War competition in parts of the Third World remain acute . The breakdown of state control in a number of areas formerly ruled by communist governments produced new civil and ethnic conflicts, particularly in the former Yugoslavia . In Central and Eastern Europe, the end of the Cold War has ushered in an era of economic growth and an increase in the number of liberal democracies, while in other parts of the world, such as Afghanistan, independence was accompanied by state failure . </P>

When did tensions between us and ussr began