The Most Important Aspects of the Cold War - Term Paper Example

Cold war The most important aspects of the Cold War were neither military nor strategic nor Europe-centered, but connected to political and social development in the Third World” (Odd Arne Westad — The Global Cold countries in the forty years after the Second world War, and little support for the kind War — 396). Do you agree? Evaluating the work done by Westad, it is worth noting that he primarily draws on the whole history of both the Soviet Union and the US, after which he lays the foundation of the two countries’ approach to the external intervention and ideological differences. Further, he traces the impact of the intervention all the way down to the twenty-first century. As per his claim, “The most important aspects of the Cold War were neither military nor strategic nor Europe-centered, but connected to political and social development in the Third World” is true. He discusses this phenomenon in depth, in the book; by mentioning countries like Ethiopia and Angola, Afghanistan, Nicaragua and Cuba all of which states that, the important factor of the cold war was centered on the phenomenon of making policies. The historical evolution of the attitudes of the Soviet and third world leaders together with US to the cold war world are set in the first three chapters by Westad. He first points out that the US’s ideology can be traced back to the early republic. According to him, he explains that it is this country’s beliefs in free market economics, “process”, and liberty that resulted to the intervention policies in the East Asia, together with the Africa and Americas that for a long time propelled to the cold war. In so doing, the US country made it easy for the justification once any communism could show a threat. The attitude of American evolution was not any smooth as expected that is why they took in the existence of slavery until the emergence of the civil war, the creation of the US colonies for instance the Philippians and the destruction of the Native Americans. There was a paternalistic notion of not only guiding but also emancipating the colored races. This was a bridge in that the colored nation could think that they are being guided only that they were been manipulated. Further, this was reinforcement to the post-war agendas of both development and nation building in the third world. On the USSR side, the country developed its own driven ideology in the agenda of modernization and progress despite of the skepticism of Joseph Stalin. As much as the anti-capitalist and antireligious beliefs system were more different as compared to that one of the America, the Soviet communism also was a product that enlightened and shaped exceptionalism as well as its 1917 post experience, directed into a mission to shape the world in its own image. After a while, in the year 1945, the super powers found themselves with a sense of enormous power, destiny and a mutual rivalry that was intense and that was formulated to appeal the third world leaders. However, this was not least, as it was expected that both the Soviet empires and the US were expected to be different all in the aim of retreating the empires of the European. On the other hand, Washington and Moscow did hold a part in the cold war, however, theirs was to improve and control and not to subject and exploit (Westad 45). In the same manner, the third world leaders had a plan of their own. They had emerged from the European exploitation and that they were determined to throw off the remaining chains of colonialism. After which, they also anticipated to make their new states that could be a bit great and stable than the previous ones, furthermore, they wanted to build their own global agenda based on the racial equality system. Their hopes were to make it a just international system that will foster economic system and put to an end the external interventions. This effort began in 1961, where two leaders; that is the Nehru of India and the Egypt’s Nasser got a revelation of creating an alignment movement that will literarily assert the independence of both the West and the East. Unfortunately, the movement did not stay long, in that by the year 1970 all leaders were no more, because of either being overthrown or being dead. As the third world countries tried to stabilize, the so-called developed countries took advantage of their infancy and manipulated their way to conquer them. Several of the postcolonial governments were being overthrown by the military, and that is why, the westerners continued to exert dominance in economic. Taking the advantage of the poor and struggling third countries, the western countries fought to get to power so that they can fully control the third world. The only promising way forward that the third world leaders decide to turn to was the Marxism. According to Westad in his book “Third World Interventions and the Making of Our Times; Jeremi Suri, Power and Protest: Global Revolutions and the Rise of Détente;," he argues that, by this time, the United Sates had done a lot in creating a third world its entity (p 157). They did this by its radicalism intervention in Guatemala and Iran. They also did this by supporting the Israel. It is imperative that they interfered Congo in the early 1960s and then supported the Laissez-faire’s economic system. These interventions literally kept the or rather pinned down much of the third world, dictating them to remain in poverty. Due to this, all the third world served to alienate all those who had positively supported the agenda of the non-aligned movement. The US also was critical to the European empires. Consequently, they decided to follow a new route of extinguishing the European empires. They started this project by trying to extinguish the Dutchs presence in Indonesia and the presence of French in Vietnam. Moreover, they opposed the French and British over the expedition of the Suez in 1956. However, in some areas, the European departure was seen as a pave away to the American to form a sponsorship of a certain particular regime. In that regime, the local leaders were not expected to follow Washington agenda. This resulted in the souring of relations. Hence, the leaders started to opt for Moscow for assistance. This was a time, which made leaders like Nikita to seek court’s support over the third world. In defense of their revolutions, Vietnam and Cuba challenged Washington, and further they went ahead to challenge the course set by the USSR for social development. China was the first country to pave the way for such independent brands of communism. They then started to criticize Moscow for the lack of revolutionary favor. Ho C. Minh and Fidel Castro were contented and very happy to receive the aid of the Soviet against that of the United States. They did this with the aim of challenging the West. They even were ready to embrace the Kremlin at length all in the name of opposing the West. As much as a third world tried to oppose the US, it was noted still in the lengthy that the country had a hand in the third world (Westad 187). During the 1970s, several events in the third world drew near to the centrality of the cold war. Angola participated in a civil war in the year 1974-6 that they won. This did send a positive message to the Soviet since they thought that the world was favoring them, (p. 241). It is imperative that the war between Somalia and Ethiopia made the US suspicious. This is when US knew that the third world intervention was far from an easy task. Several events occured, this made the US realize that even if they had to task control of the third world as they wished hard work was inevitable. As the superpowers were still meditating on which path to follow, the Afghanistan and Iran surprised them with unexpected quarter. This quarter was the upsurge in a form of military that critically rejected both the Marxism and liberal-capitalism. Prior to that, the superpowers decide to fight each other in competing for the resources that the third world had. Therefore, they decide to preoccupy themselves with one on one competition. The US under Ronald Reagan opted to belief in an aggressive policy though foreign but under the umbrella of neo-conservation. However, they were yet unable to use their military forces perfectly in the awakening of the Vietnam. This portrayed that they were ready to work with anyone who opposed the adventurism of the Soviet in the third world, Mujaheddin included in Afghanistan just to mention but a few. This was also another indication to the US that they are not perfect and that the military they have might not be so much effective as they had thought. According to Westad’s argument, it can be noted that most of the previous historians have concentrated so much on the focus that the Soviet and the US intervention in the third world to be as if it is a thing of ‘afterthought , after the taking off of the cold war rivalry. He further argues that as much as the cold war had a more profound impact on the third world’s development, he views the most important aspect of cold war as being not European centered, or Military or strategic. However, the most important factor was a more of a connection to the social development and political issue to the third world (Grant, 14). I fully second this opinion, since the superpowers were using their powers to take control of the third world political so that they can benefit their country with the third world’s resources. They also got interesting the third world because they wanted third world countries to develop social, under the lineage of their country, so that they can gain dominance if not prominence. In addition, this is what caused all the competition, fight, and rebellions. It can be noted that the historians did not fully and early enough trace the US interest in Africa, however all the attention has been directed to the ideological factors of shaping the policies of the US, after which affected the events in the Vietnam, Cuba, and Korea. The known and pertinent events that took place in these countries are centered on the accounts of the cold war, which took place in the year 1960 and 1950. Westad has given emphasizes on the pertinent facts of the cold war as connection to the social development and political issue to the third world. It is apparent that the military and the European centered facts were also preliminary issues that triggered the cold war. As much as many will say that this does not suggest a perfect pattern concerning the intervention of the third world, many incidences can further be cited where the two superpowers namely the US and the USSR chose to intervene. However, the superpowers had a limitation. For instance, the USSR had a limitation concerning its role in the colonial world. In this regard, they were somehow reluctant to the intervention of the third world in the same decades due to its downfall. It is noteworthy that the US presidents were very happy to intervene. There are times when they chose not to, despite the fact that there were good reasons of doing so. In the year 1946-9, Truman did not in any way try to save the Nationalists China; however, he did not have any efforts and time to prevent the creation of Vietnam. The pleasure to intervene in Laos in the year 1961-2 was too much to Kennedy; however, he managed to resist it. This are some of few examples that stipulates that not all the US presidents were more than willing to take part in to the cold war due to the urge to dominate the third world. Study should be made deeply to elaborate why ideological considerations together with mutual rivalry were not the primary act that drove the superpowers into a more forthright policy on that very time. However according to the passage and the book by Westad, it is vivid that dominance and social development as well as political issue geared the cold war. In order to take control of the third world fully, the two superpowers decide to use the phenomenon of policymaking. They tried to convince the leaders of the third world that they were going to support them through policymaking. However, their wish was to achieve dominance of the third world. That is why Westad says that they made the third world nations to be battleground. The battle directed to the desire to dominate, what it is not rightfully theirs. Summary It is true that the third world was the main centered of commencement of the cold war among the superpower countries. The superpowers thought that if they get dominance of the third world countries in the name of giving then assistance then they would dominate the world to a certain degree. It is evident that the Introduction of policies was just a consolation that the super powers used to try to get hold of the third world leaders. Somehow, they managed because the third world leaders were not united and that they faced cope all the time. Gradually, as the days advanced, the superpowers failed to use their military effectively and so they settled in companioning by themselves. As much as this did not affect the third world directly, still a third world did not have time to manipulate the westerners. Seeing the third world’s weakness, the westerners decide to use it and try to control and get hold of the third world leaders. Generally, the super powers came to understand how their strategies were not working and so they decide to sideline themselves. Summary According to Westad’s arguments he did direct his argument on the policy making elite’s ideology. In his book, he manages to explain two projects. First, he elaborates on the intricacies of the area of the history of cold war that have neglected on a larger degree. And second, he is faced with a task or explaining the emergence of modern cold war in connection to its attendants of terrorism, political instability and rogue states. He affirms that Soviet Union and United States were literally driven to intervene in the third world by the ideologies that were inherent in their politics. It is noted that far before World War 2, the United States had a vision, which it sort to expand. The vision was titled liberty, and their aim was to expand to the entire world. The elite saw the Unite States ideology as the away of the world. This was seen as a favor. However, this favor drove the American foreign policy all the way to its intervention in Cuba, Haiti, Philippians and world war I. according to Westad’s narration, a sense of insecurity triggered the Soviet Union, hence driving it to acquire further interventions all in the thoughts of securing America’s future. Conversely, the Soviet Union had its own consideration. The country wanted to establish an empire of justice. They therefore decided to draw on spirits of reformers in the late empire of the Russian (Harper 25). The Soviet elite treasured security in the postwar era in the same way the policy makers in the United States did. With their principles and desires and the set target, both the superpowers saw the Third World as pertinent battleground, which could lead them to have a larger share in dominance. It is this idea that made both the world to channel their rule on third world, which raised a lot of issue cold war being a major one. That is why; he comfortably argues, “military nor strategic, nor European-centeredness were not the pertinent aspects of the Cold War; however it was a connection of social and political development in the fight for dominancy in the Third World. Conclusion As the question stipulates, “The most important aspects of the Cold War were neither military nor strategic nor Europe-centered, but connected to political and social development in the Third World” (Odd Arne Westad — The Global Cold countries in the forty years after the Second world War, and little support for the kind War — 396). Do you agree?” It is true that the above-mentioned factors are not the core factors of the cold war. According to Westad, he argues that the most important aspect of the cold war were the political issues and social development. All of which were drove through policymaking, and which got a chance due to the divisional path that was witnessed in the third world leaders’ system. However, despite the divisions, the superpowers had to make a lot of efforts and advancement in trying to convince their ‘prey’ before meeting their dominance target. It is imperative that well-laid strategies did not yield much. Work Cited Westad, Odd Arne. The Global Cold countries in the forty years after the Second world War, and little support for the kind War, 396: Princeton University Press, 2010. Grant, R. G.. The Cold War. Mankato, Minn.: Arcturus Pub., 2008. Print. Harper, John Lamberton. The Cold War. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011. Print Read More