The Cold War and the United States Diplomacy The Cold War was the state of military and political tension between Western countries, especially the United States, its NATO allies, and the communist nations, particularly the Soviet Union and other satellite states. The war began after World War II had got to an end. The Cold War was named so since it did not feature any form of military action. The countries in this war possessed nuclear weapons and any form of war would have led to serious destructions on both divides. The relative calm between these countries was sometimes followed by high tensions, which would have emanated into a war but did not (Gottfried & Reim, 2003). The following essay will look at what the U.S. did during that time, as well as summarize the situation that required U.S. diplomatic efforts during the president’s time in office. In addition, the essay will describe the effect of these diplomatic efforts for the U.S. and other countries as well as assess, in conclusion, the advantages and disadvantages of the particular doctrine that was followed.
What the President Did During That Time During the cold war, the president was Ronald Reagan. He, together with members of his administration, came up with a strategy designed to oppose the influence that the Soviet Union had in the world. It came to be referred to as the Reagan Doctrine. This also came to be the showpiece of the United States foreign policy in the early 80s until the Cold war ended in 1991 (Gaddis, 2011). Under this Doctrine, the U.S. government provided what is widely known as “overt and covert aid” to resistant movements as well as anti-communist guerillas in an effort to ensure that the support the Soviet Union received from Latin America, Asia, and Africa was reduced. This
