The Cold War: An Overview of U.S. Foreign Policy

The Cold War: An Overview of U.S.

Foreign Policy

1. Definition

• “non-hostile belligerency”• Ideology or geopolitics?

Characteristics

• A Global (and Cosmic) Struggle–Two Scorpions

• The Nuclear Dimension–Two porcupines

• A Zero-Sum game– Two Theologies

Beginnings

• World War II: Allies and Rivals?• New U.S. conceptions of national security

Periods of the Cold War

• 1. 1947-63 “Classic Cold War”

• Actually three phases:– 1947-53– 1953-58– 1958-63

• 2. 1963-79 Détente

• 3. 1979-84 The “Second Cold War”

• 4. Détente, again. 1984-89

U.S. Foreign Policy in the Cold WarOver-arching themes:

U.S. rejection of isolationismKey paradigms:

“Munich”, “Pearl Harbor”, “Versailles”Perception of threat from USSR-led CommunismFear of ideological and cultural penetrationZero-sum games and Falling Dominoes

Containment

• Origins and Evolution of Containment–Economic–Military–NSC-68–Korean War–Subversion and Covert Activity

• Eisenhower’s “New Look”• “Rollback”• Massive Retaliation and

Asymmetric Response• Brinkmanship• Covert activity• Support for status quo in

Asia, Middle East and the Americas

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to secure the survival and success of liberty…”

• Kennedy and the rhetoric of victory

• Flexible Response• Calibration and

gradual escalation• Arms build-up and

Alliance for Progress

• Cuban Missile Crisis and the fear of loss of control

• Hotline and the beginnings of Détente

• The problem of Vietnam: honor our commitments or the world goes up in smoke

• Détente and the Prague Spring• The United States and Israel• The Race to the Moon• Nixon and Détente

•Linkage and Rapprochement

•The Quagmire of Vietnam

•Dissent on the Streets, Revisionism in Academia

•Chile

• Realpolitik

• Strategic Arms Limitation Talks• The Over-selling of Détente• Helsinki 1975

• Carter and Human Rights

• North-South versus East-West

• Committee on Clear and Present Danger

• Afghanistan and the Demise of Détente

• Iran and the Demise of Carter

• The New Cold War• Negotiating from Strength• The “Evil Empire”• A Policy of Squeeze?

• The beginnings of a new détente

• SDI• Iran-Contra• Mikhail Gorbachev• Renewal of Summit

Diplomacy

• Malta Conference and the End of the Cold War

• What was it all about?• Central themes in U.S. conduct

of the Cold War