The US foreign policy after the Cold War and the Soviet Union, their allies, and other communist countries engaged in what was dubbed the “Cold War” after World War II. During this time, there was open warfare as well as international political, ideological, and economic competition. The United States employed diplomacy to advance democracy to counteract the impact and expansion of communism globally. The United States and its allies saw communism as a danger to individual liberties, free elections, and free trade. The proliferation of nuclear weapons added to this menace. Germany and its capital, Berlin, were split in two following World War II. West Germany and West Berlin were taken over by the Western Allies, which included the US. East Berlin and East Germany were under Soviet occupation. The Soviet Union and the United States were friends at the time, but they quickly fell out when it came to resolving the issue of how to reconstruct the infrastructure, politics, and economy of war-torn Europe.
NATO and collective defense in US foreign policy after the Cold War
An essential preface to postwar US foreign policy is American Foreign Policy since 1945. To give a historical history of US policy and to examine important issues regarding its conception, management, and outcomes, it blends chronological and thematic parts. The United States maintained supplies for the West Berliners for almost a year by employing aid as a diplomatic strategy rather than launching a military assault. In May 1949, the Soviet Union gave in and opened the highways to the West, avoiding the possibility of a military conflict. Berlin was geographically vulnerable to communist influence because it was close to the border with Soviet-controlled Poland. Stopping the spread of communism and reducing its power where it already existed were the main goals of US diplomacy throughout the Cold War. Promoting democracy, according to American politicians, would increase everyone’s liberty. But there was an issue facing the Democratic United States. When millions of its residents were subjected to racial discrimination and segregation, it was unable to assert democracy as the ideal system of governance.
Proxy wars and US foreign policy after the Cold War
The main features of American foreign policy have to confront this issue as part of the contemporary Civil Rights movement. They had to balance the persistent racial injustices at home with their support of democracy outside. Since the 19th century, Americans of color have served as diplomats for the United States. In particular, they became much more numerous following World War II, when the Cold War was at its height and the contemporary Civil Rights movement was just getting started. President Harry S. Truman said in the Truman Doctrine that any democratic country threatened by internal or external authoritarian forces would receive economic, military, and political support from the United States. US foreign policy was successfully reoriented by the Truman Doctrine from its custom of withdrawing from regional wars in which the United States is not directly involved to one of potential intervention in distant conflicts.
The Arms Race and Nuclear Deterrence
This time was everything but “cold”; nevertheless, internal bloodshed erupted in some nations as rival factions vying for control were backed by the US and the USSR. These battles, usually referred to as proxy wars, had an impact on diplomats and diplomatic efforts abroad. The Vietnam War was one such proxy conflict. American forces had been engaged in combat in Vietnam for four years by 1968. In 1949, the People’s Republic of China was established as a communist nation. Mass demonstrations against the war grew when the Tet Offensive revealed that the American public felt misled. President Johnson declared in March of that year that he would not seek reelection. Before the final American combat soldiers departed Vietnam in 1973, thousands more Americans and Vietnamese would perish.
Espionage and Covert Operations
North Vietnamese communist soldiers against the US-backed government in the south received assistance from the People’s Republic of China and the Soviet Union. The American people, who had been taught to believe that the United States was winning the war, were stunned by the embassy attack. Providing Americans at home with accurate information about conditions abroad so they may understand and support them is a major component of effective diplomacy. These Vietnamese people, some of whom were employed by the US government, were in grave risk of communist reprisals if they were left behind. Francis Terry McNamara, Consul General of Cần Thơ, declined to evacuate the consulate solely for Americans.
Redefining US foreign policy after the Cold War
Reunification was applauded by the US. They were aware, meanwhile, that the talks would be a difficult diplomatic endeavor, including listening to the will of the German people, collaborating with current allies, and establishing confidence. American diplomats collaborated with all sides to guarantee a smooth reunification. The end of British aid to Greece was the impetus for the Truman Administration to refocus American foreign policy, given the worsening ties with the Soviet Union and the seeming Soviet interference in Greek and Turkish affairs.
Stopping the spread of communism and reducing its influence where it already existed were the main goals of US foreign policy after the Cold War.
