Summary
Highlights
The Cold War intensified debates about nuclear proliferation and led to an escalating arms race between the US and the Soviet Union. President Eisenhower warned against the 'military-industrial complex' and adopted the 'New Look' policy, emphasizing nuclear arsenal over costly conventional military engagements. While saving money, this led to a precarious strategy of 'brinkmanship' with the threat of mutual assured destruction.
Decolonization describes the process after World War II where European empires dissolved, leading to the creation of about 80 new independent states. Colonial troops, fighting for their imperial powers in both World Wars, hoped for self-rule or independence, leading to massive anti-imperial movements post-1945.
The Cold War's ideological struggle between US democratic capitalism and Soviet authoritarian communism meant new independent nations were heavily courted by both superpowers. The Non-Aligned Movement emerged in 1955, with 29 African and Asian states refusing to be pawns in this global conflict. Some shrewdly leveraged the rivalry for resources, while others were drawn into it.
The Angolan Civil War (1975) escalated due to US and Soviet support for rival ethnic groups, prolonging the conflict. In the Middle East, Egypt, initially allied with the Soviet Union, shifted towards the United States in the 1970s. President Carter's mediation of the Camp David Accords strengthened US-Egypt ties, securing American interests in oil and weakening Soviet influence.
US foreign policy in Latin America was influenced by decolonization, leading to interventions to protect economic interests and prevent communism. In 1954, the US, concerned by Guatemala's socialist leader nationalizing American-owned farmland and perceived threats to the Panama Canal, orchestrated a CIA-backed coup. In 1961, the Bay of Pigs Invasion, an attempt to overthrow Cuba's socialist leader Fidel Castro, failed disastrously, pushing Cuba closer to the Soviet Union.