Cold War Conflict

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The Cold War was the tension and struggle between the Capitalist Bloc dominated by the United States and the Communist Bloc dominated by the Soviet Union from 1946 to 1991, due to their ideological difference, mutual distrust and conflict of interests. The confrontation between the 2 superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, took on several forms to extend their global influence, which included setting up opposing plans and organisation, armament race, supporting allies in proxy wars, spy activities, and stopping communication. The seemingly effect of their confrontation during the Cold War was bringing about international conflicts. Nevertheless, the US-USSR confrontation did promote international cooperation, especially between the 2 leaders and their aligned countries in reconstructing their economy. International conflicts arose from the US-USSR confrontation will be first discussed and followed by the international cooperation it promoted.
To extend their influence, the United States and Soviet Union were eager to find allies and therefore provided European countries with financial aid for post-war economic reconstruction. In 1947, the United States announced the Marshal Plan with a corresponding economic organisation, the Organisation for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) to distribute aid provided for both Western and Eastern Europe. All European countries were invited while 16 countries actually joined. Yet, the Soviet Union introduced the Molotov Plan and set up the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON) to counteract. Some politicians denounced the Marshall Plan as ‘dollar diplomacy’ to buy off allies. The Soviet Union feared the Marshall Plan would curb its expansion of its sphere of influence, ...

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...ation after the Chinese Civil War. After the Korean War, the US signed the Mutual Defense Treaty with South Korea in 1953. The Vietnam War drove Southeast Asian countries to form the ASEAN. The Space Age competition ended in space technology cooperation. The NATO and Warsaw Pact had a meeting and set up the OSCE.

When there is a conflict, alliance is needed to confront one’s enemy. That is the US-USSR confrontation would need alliances of the 2 blocs. But if one wants to solve a conflict and ease tension, international cooperation is needed to have conversation and a balance of power. That is the integration of the Europe as EU as a third power to counterbalance and maintain peace. All in all, the confrontation between the US and USSR during the Cold War brought about international conflicts for sure, but it did promote international cooperation at the same time.

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