A podcast following the development of the Cold War using original oral histories from the Association for Diplomatic Studies & Training‘s Foreign Affairs Oral History archive. (https://adst.org)
The South African Border War or the Namibian War of Independence is not a war that fits exactly into the previously standard Cold War narrative thus far.
In this conflict, there was a third party involved. Cuba took on a leading role providing support to the Namibians in their fight for independence, which had been under South African control since after WWI. Cuba also provided additional troops to the Angolans who were also fighting for independence and had been receiving support from the USSR.
28 Aug 2024
Congo
The battleground now shifts from East Africa towards Congo and the attempted secession of Katanga. At this time, Congo and its prime minister Patrice Lumumba faced decisions regarding involvement with both the United States and the Soviet Union. Both superpowers sought to secure their interests.
Unlike in East Africa, where the United States was more cautious in entering the conflict and providing support to one side, the Congo Crisis was a different scenario.
21 Aug 2024
East Aftica
Both the United States and the Soviet Union in a way were competing for the favor of the African countries. As such, the U.S. found itself nestled in several countries, some in which they had direct interests in. In the first of a three part series covering Africa, we will first emphasize East Africa. This includes Burundi, Ethiopia, and Somalia. Each country became a platform in the Cold War; a metaphorical battleground of communist versus anti-communist ideology and policy. The tense competition between the two global superpowers created war amongst groups and conflicts between neighboring counties, such as the Ogaden war.
14 Aug 2024
Egypt - Part II
We look back on President Nasser’s seizure of the Suez Canal from Great Britain and swift change of partnership when the U.S. halted funds for the completion of the Aswan Dam. In the years thereafter, Egypt and its neighbors continued to be of geopolitical interest in the Cold War. As Foreign Service Officers like Helmut Sonnenfeldt will introduce, the United States and the Soviet Union will take interest in conflicts such as the 1967 war––also known as the Six Days War––and the 1973 Yom Kippur War. It was not until the end of the 1970s that Egypt and Israel would end their hostilities at Camp David. As a result Egypt became an official partner of the United States.
7 Aug 2024
Egypt - Part 1
While some countries were the settings of the ideological battle between the United States and the Soviet Union, directly targeted or affected by policies and areas of interest, others like Egypt found an opportunity to bend the situation to their own benefit. Former Egyptian president Gamal Adbel Nasser realized that the United States and the Soviet Union’s preoccupation with Cold War politics could be exploited; this would become his legacy as a non-alignment country in the Cold War. Consequently, Egypt’s ability to tactfully play both sides allowed them to negotiate better deals on military assistance, economic benefits, and gain political power.
17 Aug 2023
Afghanistan part 2
us to work together preserving the experiences of America’s diplomats.
Afghanistan played a critical part in the end of the Cold War. As we recall from the last episode, the government of Afghanistan was overthrown in the 1978 Saur Revolution. After the fall of the Afghani government to the Communist revolution, Afghanistan was still divided between many factions such as the Communists and Mujahedeen. In this episode, we will witness the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the years following the Saur Revolution.
17 Aug 2023
Afghanistan part 1
On December 24, 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. This was controversial because before the invasion, the Soviet Union signed a treaty with the Afghan government known as the “Friendship Treaty” in 1978. This agreement provided the Afghan government with economic and military assistance, and allowed the Soviet Union a greater foothold in the country. However, Afghanistan no longer benefited from the treaty after President Nur Muhammad Taraki was overthrown by future-president Mohammed Daoud Khan. The instability of Afghan politics gave opportunity for the Soviet Union to spread their influence and gain control over new territory.
28 Mar 2022
China 1960 - 1972
With the Soviet Union on the forefront of conflict with the United States, a new player formally found its way into the Cold War arena in 1950. Solidified by the Treaty of Friendship, Alliance, and Mutual Assistance, the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China had created a new accord, bonding two major Communist powerhouses. Despite the presence of a seemingly strong alliance between the two entities, the relationship would slowly unravel, presenting an opportunity for American diplomacy with China for the first time in over two decades of hostility and isolation. New, open relations with China would ultimately work to pivot the direction of the war in favor of the United States and help the Soviet Union and America in their quest to make forward progress.
21 Mar 2022
Vietnam 1950 - 1975
In this episode of the Cold War series on containment, we move into the Vietnam War and analyze how the conflict played a pivotal role in portraying the U.S. desire to curtail the growth of communism. Ambassadors Burton Levin and E. Allan Wednt offer their perspectives from being involved in this era and explain the motivations behind carrying out the Truman Doctrine and preventing the toppling effects of the Domino Theory. From administrative efforts on containment policy to outright proxy wars in the cold war against communism, we leave with a better understanding of why the countries involved felt so compelled to act upon their respective, conflicting nationalistic ideologies.
14 Mar 2022
Cuba 1955-1960
Few moments during the Cold War were as iconic and memorable as the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. This manifestation of Cold War tensions exemplifies both the success and failure of United States containment policy in the early stages of this global conflict. In this episode, we cover the rise of Fidel Castro, the failure of the Bay of Pigs, and the Cuban Missile Crisis itself, all from the perspective of America’s Foreign Service Officers.
14 Oct 2021
South Korea and Iran 1950-1954
The early stages of the Cold War grew quickly, testing its limits in proxy states. Beginning with Korea and Iran, these were critical points of the war in which communist states and anti-communist states came into direct military conflict and civil war. In this episode, we cover how the US-Soviet rivalry was present in both the Korean Peninsula and Iran, all from the perspective of America’s Foreign Service Officers.
7 Oct 2021
E2 NATO, Europe, Fall of 中国大陆1945-1949
The Cold War began as Europe was recovering from economic devastation. In response, the United States sent economic aid to various countries in order to strengthen its influence and their individual defense against the Soviet Union. Because of this, the Soviet Union would counter. In this episode, we cover Winston Churchill’s Iron Curtain speech, and President Harry Truman’s “Truman Doctrine” and its call for the Marshall Plan in countries like Greece, Turkey, and Germany, all from the perspective of America’s Foreign Service Officers.
30 Sept 2021
The Non-Aligned Movement
The Cold War began in the aftermath of World War II. Ideological division rose from the victorious Allies: capitalism versus communism; a race seeking global influence between the United States and the Soviet Union. However there was a movement of countries who did not want any part of choosing sides: the Non-Alignment Movement. In this episode, we cover how a group of nations rose to confront the US-Soviet rivalry and established the Non-Alignment Movement as a “third road” in geopolitics, all from the perspective of America’s Foreign Service Officers.
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