      it was the year that is usually considered the final year of the cold war that had begun in the late 1940s. during the year, the union of soviet socialist republics collapsed into fifteen sovereign republics. india also abandoned its policies of socialism and autarky and began extensive neoliberal changes to its economy in july 1991 which would increase the gdp but also economic inequality over the next two decades. http://www.economist.com/node/18988536 a u.n.-authorized coalition force from thirty-four nations fought against iraq, which had invaded kuwait in the previous year, 1990. the conflict would be called the gulf war and would mark the beginning of a since-constant american military presence in the middle east. the clash between serbia and the other yugoslav republics would lead into the beginning of the yugoslav wars. the japanese asset price bubble collapsed this year, leading to the lost years and a permanently stagnated (though still prosperous) japanese economy.http://www.cnn.com/asianow/time/magazine/99/1122/pokemon6.fullinterview1.html == events == === january === * january 1 ** czechoslovakia becomes the second eastern european country to abandon its command economy. ** the first anti-stalking law, passed in 1990, goes into effect in california.http://franksreelreviews.com/shorttakes/shaeffer/shaeffer.htm ** dublin begins its year as the european capital of culture. * january 2 â in eastern el salvador, salvadoran rebels shoot down a united states army helicopter and execute the 2 surviving members of its 3-man crew. * january 4 â the united nations security council votes unanimously to condemn israel's treatment of the palestinians. * january 5 â georgian troops attack tskhinvali, the capital of south ossetia, opening the 1991â92 south ossetia war. * january 6 â the runoff for the guatemalan presidential election is won by jorge serrano elÃ­as. * january 7 â in haiti, an attempted coup by an associate of former dictator jean-claude duvalier is thwarted by loyalist troops. * january 9 ** united states secretary of state james baker meets with the foreign minister of iraq tariq aziz, but fails to produce a plan for iraq to withdraw its troops from kuwait. ** in sebokeng, south africa, gunmen fire on mourners attending the funeral of a leader of the [[african national cong
1991