The Cold War - Essay Example

The cold War The Cold War lasted for nearly half a century and was an event with international repercussions. Characterized by geopolitical stability, yet intense ideological rivalry between the two major superpowers in the international system, the Soviet Union represented state-led economic development and authoritarian politics while the United States represented the forced of capitalism and liberal democracy. During the Cold War, the USSR and the United States were engaged in a bitter ideological confrontation pitting two opposite poles in the international system against one another. Seeking to contain the influence of the Soviet Union throughout the world and aiming to halt the spread of international communisms, the policy of containment was used to promote the security of the United States and the liberal democratic, free market world. During this period of bipolarity in international affairs, the behavior of the United States was mediated by concerns regarding the stability of the international system as well the desire to contain the spread of communism throughout the world. Containment sought to halt the spread of international communism and hinder the ideological sway of the Soviet Union in the international system (Hobsbawm, 1994). Believing that the USSR was actively engaged in the spread of communism through the far reaches of the world, the United States used containment to refer to the means through which the spread of communism would be challenged through ideological, diplomatic and even military means. Beginning in the post World War Two era under the Presidency of Harry S. Truman, Western allies sought to contain the influence of the Soviet Union in Europe, Asia and throughout the world through the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) following the War. Containment emerged immediately following the War and led to American engagements in North Korea, Vietnam as well as elsewhere. Fearing the encroachment of communism in the Western hemisphere following the successful revolution in Cuban under the tutelage of Fidel Castro, the United States, under President John F. Kennedy, reacted forcefully when the Soviet Union sought to install warheads on the Cuban island (Best, 2004). Containnment evolved during the Cold War but is most closely associated with the United States’ decision to intervene in Vietnam. accordingly, the decision of the United States to engage militarily with the North Vietnamese Communist forces was predicated on the idea that the fall of Vietnam to Communist forces would have a domino effect and lead to the global spread of communism in the formerly colonial empires of Asia and beyond. In contrast to détente, rollback and open engagement with their Soviet adversaries, containnment evolved from a military option to stem the spread of communism and by the end of the Cold War was largely diplomatic and ideological. Similarly, American support for the Afghan muhajadeen during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan represented a covert means through which the United States sought to contain the spread of international communism. Under the Presidency of Ronald Reagan the United States sought to enagage the Soviet Union through strength but sought dialogue as opposed to military conflict (Hobsbawm, 1994). 2) Unlike his predecessors, US President Richard Nixon sought détente with the Soviet Union and the forces of international communism. For Nixon, détente referred to a relaxation of international tensions and was predicated on the notion that engagement was better than disengagement. Accordingly, while the United States and the Soviet Union were ideological competitors and engaged in a struggle for global domination, the policy of détente sought a relaxation of these tensions. While the United States and the Soviet Union remained locked in an important struggle for ideological domination, détente represented a break with the past and sought mutual agreement between the two important ideological nemeses. During the early stages of the Cold War, the global economic and political systems of the United States and the Soviet Union were aptly characterized by mutual distrust and disengagement. Capitalism and democractic government were hearalded by the United States and its allies in NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) as the ideal form of social organization. Alternatively, authoritarian socialism was spearheaded by the Soviet Union and its allies which belonged to the Warsaw Pact. A period of bipolarity existed, meaning a global balance of power between these two social, political, economic and ideological systems and this lasted for much of the 20th century. During the early period of the Cold War, the United States aimed to contain communism and formed alliances through the world to ensure that communism would not be spread by the Soviet Union and its ideological allies. Similarly, the Soviet Union sought to promote socialist organizations and in particular national liberation movements with socialist leanings throughout the world and contain the spread of what they saw as imperialism and bourgeois capitalism ((Best, 2004). A relaxation of tensions occurred under the Presidency of Richard Nixon through engagement and a series of negotiations were aimed at mutual agreement and cooperation. Realizing that containment may not be the ideal means through which the United States should engage with the Soviet Union, Nixon aimed to placate his domestic audience as well as those in the international community by easing tensions between the two countries. While still seeking to restrain the USSR on the international stage, détente was based upon the belief that successive American policies toward the communist world needed to evolve in the wake of changing circumstances. Realizing that the war in Vietnam had damaged American interests both at home and abroad, détente aimed to enagage with the Communist world. Seeking American self-interest above all else, détente was based upon the belief that American interest lay in engagement as opposed to disengagement. Most importantly, détente achieved the important step of engaging with the Soviet Union The SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) as well as a reduction of armed troops in Vietnam represented important early attempts at engagement. Accordingly, Nixon’s overtures to China also welcomed a thaw in American relations vis-à-vis their ideological nemeses. The Cold War lasted almost fifty years and represented the most sustained ideological conflict in international relations. Richard Nixon broke with the past and sought a relaxation of tensions and engagement with the Soviet Union (Hobsbawm, 1994). BIBLIOGRAPHY Best, A. (2004). International History of the Twentieth Century. London: Routledge. Hobsbawm, E. (1994). Age of Extremes: The Short History of the Twentieth Century: 1914-1991. London: Abacus. Read More