Relations with the Soviet Union have been a large concern for the United States since the end of World War II and the emergence of the Cold War. The Soviet Union and its foreign policy during that time prompted otherwise avoidable animosity and conflict for the United States, namely with the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Afghan War. The relationship between the United States and Soviet Union can be called a rivalry, and throughout the course of the United States' history, the Soviet Union has repeatedly battled to match the United States' position as a superpower, mainly by flexing its muscles through proxy wars.
During the post WWII years, the U.S. formed a new mentality—a strategy for fighting the Cold War against the Soviet Union—called the “policy of containment”. The principle was propagated by George Kennan, the U.S. ambassador to Moscow. It first came to the public eye when he published it in the form of a contribution to the journal \'Foreign Affairs\', leaving only the anonymous signature “X” though most everyone knew who wrote it. Kennan's theory stated that communism, unless impeded by superior forces, would wedge its way into countries that were weak and unstable. The appropriate response for the United States, then, was to buoy frail nations susceptible to communism in order to prevent further Soviet expansion.
[...] "Bay of Pigs, The Plan - History of Cuba." Cuban history begins here May 2009 < http://www.historyofcuba.com/history/baypigs/pigs3.htm>. "BBC ON THIS DAY 15 1989: Soviet troops pull out of Afghanistan." BBC NEWS News Front Page May 2009 < http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/15/newsid_4160000 /4160827.stm>. "Cold War: Cuban missile crisis." Library of Congress Home May 2009 < http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/archives/colc.html>. "Containment." Howard Fienberg May 2009 < http://www.hfienberg.com/irtheory/contain.html>. "Cuban Missile Crisis - John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum." Home - John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum May 2009 < http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/JFK+in+History/Cuban+Missile +Crisis.htm>. "Cuban Missile Crisis." GlobalSecurity.org - Reliable Security Information May 2009 < http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/cuba-62.htm>. [...]
[...] [xlv] "Zahir Shah." Afghan Network iNteractive May 2009 < http://www.afghan-network.net/Rulers/zahir_shah.html>. [xlvi] "The Origins of the Soviet-Afghan War." Alternative Insight-Foreign Policy and Politics May 2009 < http://www.alternativeinsight.com/Afghan_War.html>. [xlvii] "People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (political party, Afghanistan) Britannica Online Encyclopedia." Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia May 2009 < http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/450599/Peoples-Democratic-Party- of-Afghanistan>. [xlviii] "The Origins of the Soviet-Afghan War." Alternative Insight- Foreign Policy and Politics May 2009 < http://www.alternativeinsight.com/Afghan_War.html>. [xlix] Limited War: Afghanistan." Clemson University May 2009 < http://www.clemson.edu/caah/history/FacultyPages/EdMoise/limit6.html>. "The Origins of the Soviet-Afghan War." Alternative Insight-Foreign Policy and Politics May 2009 < http://www.alternativeinsight.com/Afghan_War.html>. [...]
[...] and Soviet administrations, during which Soviet diplomats denied that installations for offensive missiles were being built in Cuba, President Kennedy announced in a televised address that any missile attack from Cuba would be regarded as a direct attack on the United States by the Soviet Union and would be received with an appropriate response.[xli] Kennedy brought the US nuclear arsenal to full wartime readiness and also ordered a naval quarantine of Cuba to prevent any more missile-laden Soviet ships from reaching the island. [...]
[...] "George Kennan "The Sources of Soviet Conduct" (1946)." The History Guide Main May 2009 < http://www.historyguide.org/Europe/kennan.html>. "Containment." Howard Fienberg May 2009 < http://www.hfienberg.com/irtheory/contain.html>. "Truman Doctrine." Spartacus Educational - Home Page May 2009 < http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAtrumanD.htm>. [vii] "Reconsiderations: The Cold War Was the Truman Doctrine a Real Turning Point? Foreign Affairs." Home Foreign Affairs May 2009 < http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/24491/john-lewis- gaddis/reconsiderations-the-cold-war-was-the-truman-doctrine-a-real-tur>. [viii] "The Truman Doctrine, 1947." U.S. Department of State May 2009 < http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/cwr/82210.htm>. "The Korean War." MacroHistory : World History May 2009 < http://www.fsmitha.com/h2/ch24kor.html>. "Korea." Spartacus Educational - Home Page May 2009 < http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WWkorea.htm>. [...]
[...] The United States provided the guerilla fighters with money, supplies and strategic and technological instruction.[lii] It gave them, for example, Stingers, versatile missiles with all-aspect seeker capability,[liii] with which they were able to shoot-down Soviet Mi-24 Helicopter Gunships.[liv] It provided an estimated running total of $10 billion in the war against the Soviets.[lv] The Soviet Union unceremoniously pulled out of Afghanistan in 1989[lvi], leaving chaos and turmoil in its wake. The country's rubble was left behind to be squabbled over by guerilla fighters and warlords, none of whom had any business running a country. [...]
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