U.s. Foreign Policy During The Cold War

Would you like it if you were forced to think and act in a certain way? In the past, there were countries, such as Germany, that tried to use force to make other people think the same way as they do, by killing people that were different, or thought differently. The United States and other countries didn't feel that they could just stand around and let things like this happen. The United States worked with others in the United Nations to put policies in place to protect and keep peace between nations. The Cold War is a good example of the United States working with others in order to protect against the spread of communism. It was called The Cold War because

I think that the most effective foreign policy in ending the cold war was Ronald Reagan and his policy of “confrontation” because he funded anti-communist rebellions in other countries, funded billions of dollars on military spending, and invaded and counterattacked troops led by the soviet union in other countries and America.

Rupp, R. (2000). NATO 1949 and NATO 2000: From the Common defense toward collective security. Journal of Strategic Studies, 23(3), 154-176.

Once an ally the United States fought together with in World War II from 1941 to 1945, the Soviet Union became an enemy of the U.S. after Stalin broke his promise of free elections in Eastern Europe. With nothing to stop invasions on its west, the USSR installed Communist governments in countries bordering its west to make them buffer states. The U.S. was afraid that the Communist takeover of one country would cause a chain reaction of neighboring countries falling to Communism, so it enacted a policy called ‟containment,” whose objective was to prevent the spread of Communism and encourage the USSR to stop its aggressions. U.S. Cold War policies embodied the ideals of democracy because it gave financial aid to countries that opposed Communism

The Cold War was the state of military and political tension between Western countries, especially the United States, its NATO allies, and the communist nations, particularly the Soviet Union and other satellite states. The war began after World War II had got to an end.

From the end of World War II in 1945 to the fall of the Berlin wall in 1991 America was in a stalemate with the Soviet Union that was called the Cold War. With this paper showing if Domestic Policy or Foreign Policy played a larger impact on the US. From 1945 until 2018 the US and Russia/ the Soviet Union have both had many political leaders with Russia/ the Soviets having 11 and the United States having 14 every leader is bound to have different ideas and opinions. Presidential foreign policy doctrines have been defining features of post-World War II history.

Both Washington and Moscow recognized the huge power vacuum throughout Europe as the Nazi’s Germany waned. The United States recognized that the Russians would rise out of World War II the foremost power with the potential to dominate Europe and Asia alike. The mistrust, which started during the war between the Americans and the Russians, continued to proliferate. As a direct response to the Soviet menace, NATO was established. For the Russians part, after World War II, the Russians were slow to withdraw their troops from the Middle East and Turkey. Furthermore, the Russians began to accumulate their Iron Curtain installing

While the U.S. maintained a relatively confusing agenda regarding foreign policies during the Cold War era, its attitudes are clearer in the present as globalization has strengthened connections between all international actors and made it more difficult for some to focus on maintaining hostile outlooks. The U.S. has had a long history with Syria and Israel, as the superpower has struggled to keep the two countries from abusing each-other and has, at times, provided the latter with significant financial and military support. However, U.S. involvement in Israel-Syrian relations has declined significantly in the recent decades, only to emerge in the last few years as a consequence of the fact that the Middle East currently experiences a serious political crisis.

While President John F. Kennedy was only the commander and chief for a brief period of years, not even fulfilling a full term, he was extremely beloved. Not just for the work that he completed in the United States, such as founding the Peace Corps, but for his strategic and diplomatic relations with what were often extremely tense diplomatic relations. One of the most famous incidents of precarious international relations was the Cuban Missile Crisis; it was during this occasion that Kennedy had to use strategic and rock solid diplomatic techniques.

During the Cold War the United States had a clear framework that helped guide their foreign policy. Then the idea was to maintain a balance of power between America and the Soviets, and during those days’ by “power” they meant military. Following the fall of the Soviets America emerged as the global hegemon with the largest conventional military in the world. But today with the evolution of technology much has changed. Obama has argued that “This century’s threats are at least as dangerous in some ways more complex than those we have confronted in the past” (Datta, 2015) This is a time for the United States to choose a course to replace the incoherent path we have been on over the last 25 years (Bremmer, 2015). We have the resources, this is a time to renew U.S. leadership in the world and make America great again. In order to accomplish this, the United States needs to create a universal doctrine and focus their foreign policy on working to improve conditions in the Middle East in order to decrease/terminate terrorism worldwide and stop the murder of innocents. Make strides with Russia one of the only other countries with nuclear weapons in order to stabilize and stop nuclear development in Iran and North Korea. Also the U.S. should make an effort to collaborate with China who is emerging as a world power and could soon surpass the U.S. together both countries could do great in the world, all this without neglecting domestic issues and working towards recreation of the

President Truman describe NATO’s creation as “… a neighbourly act taken by countries deeply conscious of their shared heritage as democracies that had come together determined to defend their common values and interests from those who threatened them … The Washington Treaty’s goal was to establish a zone of peace in an area of the world that had been at the heart of … two wars” (Asmus, 2002, pp. 46-57).

Many would submit that the complexity of international affairs in times past used to be much less daunting and much more black and white. Upon the onset of World War II, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and Germany invaded Poland, there was no question about who the enemy was. The threat was evident and the necessary response was unambiguous. It didn’t take coercion for the United States to rouse the population into backing a war necessary to preserve our freedom, our democracy, and the American way our life. Throughout the Cold War, the assertion of good, the concept and practice of capitalism and democracy, versus evil, the spread of communism, was clearly divided and unequivocal. The World Summary material provided for this course

The military spent about 8 trillion dollars on the Cold War and to contain communism. This price is very low compared to the 100,000 American soldiers who paid the ultimate price and lost their lives. (Boundless) The Cold War was a period of tension between the United States of America and the Soviet Union during the years of 1947 through 1991 regarding communism. Three of the presidents during the Cold War campaigned against communism using containment. Containment is the practice of preventing something harmful, such as communism, from spreading to other places. (Ayers et al. ***) George F. Kennan was a big advocate for containment and his writings inspired the three presidents’ foreign policies. (Ayers

Established as a Cold War-era counterweight to Soviet power, NATO is characterized by its “commitment to democratic values and practices that, along with its unique, integrated military structure, sustains it even at times when its members’ short-term strategic calculations diverge.” (Hunter) In theory, then, the bonds between the United States and Europe should be close and enduring. Indeed, the interests of the two entities have largely converged throughout NATO’s half century history despite occasional differences.

The contemporary foreign policy of the United States represents an evolving continuum of principles, conceptions and strategies that in part, derived from the particularistic American Cold War experience. As such, United States foreign policy is neither a static entity, nor is its intentions or direction uncontested. This essay will examine the underlying issues of identity and how, beginning with the Truman Doctrine, a distinct articulation of the national interest was evinced that has defined America’s role in the world. In doing so, focus will be given to the development of alliance policy, containment and its effect on transforming the US posture in the post-Cold War international order.