...World War, the global balance of power steered with the rise of communism and nations determined to fight against it. When these two sides gradually received spotlight of international politics until the end of Cold War, the United States, the key player of anti-communism, began to propel, its unofficial, the so-called ‘World Police’ obligation, as their main foreign policy makings. Even now, the U.S., as the leading super power of the global arena, influences to the whole with what it believes is right for the sake of humanity and the nation itself. Its belief eventually may have salvaged many from the tyranny of communism or unjust dictatorships. However, at times, it did only harm than good to keep the society on the right track. But these were lessons learned after several trials of failures of various spectrums of the United State’s policies. Now, history tells the future generations of young American politicians through the mirrors of past events such as the Korean War and the Vietnam War. These mirrors foretell what outcomes one would face if he finds himself stumbled onto the wrong course of intervention. One will also discover military supremacy is not all to influence a certain entity. Despite the evident proof of the past, there are politicians that are misled to believe what are not worth believing anymore. Mitt Romney, a Republican politician, is one of the many who may need to acknowledge this as examples can be pointed out just by referencing the past two wars of different...
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...The Birth of Communism In 1917 when the world was at war Russia formed a government that would change the world. The Russian Revolution was an uprising of the people of Russia to overthrow the imperialistic rule of Tsar Nicholas II. This uprising was lead by the communist Vladimir Lenin. These communist were called the Bolsheviks. This Revolution led to the USSR or Soviet Union that was a communist country. Communism is a philosophy that seeks to establish a classless, stateless, society based on common ownership. The idea of communism was “invented” by Karl Marx in the 1840-70. After the creation of the USSR the US was extremely scared and concerned about this new idea of communism. During WW2 the US and the USSR were on the same...
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...War on Terror On September 11, 2001, two planes ultimately hijacked by members of Al-Qaeda crashed into the World Trade Towers, New York City, New York. Many different generations became glued to the television in awe as news stations showed live video of New Yorkers running for their lives while down came the “Twins Towers”. Declaring war on whomever was behind this became emanate as Americans wanted revenge for the wrongful deaths of many innocent lives. It was not until May 2, 2011, that the man behind the attacks, Osama bin Laden, finally got what he deserved…death. Two years later, American troops are still fighting in Afghanistan, dying every day. The mission President Bush set out to accomplish had been completed, so it is time to bring the troops home and stop dying for the sake of other countries. The fight against terrorism will forever be an ongoing process, that much is understood. It is the goal of Presidents to come to keep the fight off American soil, something which can be checked off the list for the past 12 years. Like previously stated, war on whomever committed the 9/11 attacks was at the top of many American’s agenda, but who is to say that after 12 long years priorities have not changed. Once the death of bin Laden had been confirmed, the process of sending American troops home should have gone into effect immediately. Granted many troops have already landed safely on American soil, one troop still in Afghanistan is one too many. According to CBSNews...
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...The Korean War was a brief but tragic war lasting a three year span from 1950 through 1953. Nearly 10 thousand soldiers from North and South Korea were killed before the battle even began. During the war almost 40 thousand Americans died in action as well as over 100 thousand more being wounded. Nearly 5 million died with about 10 percent being civilians. World War II and Vietnam had less civilian casualties then Korea. This war involved North Korea fighting against South Korea. The communist party of North Korea was trying to take over South Korean Democrats and become one combined communist country. Russian Soviets teamed up with North Koreans to strengthen their chances of a win for communism. This in turn forced the United States to side with South Korea in fear that the communist would take over Korea in whole and push to take over the rest of the world. After the war ended in 1953, and still today, the Korean Peninsula is still divided. The United States did not stop involving in other countries wars there. The Vietnam War was a longer, more expensive battle. It officially lasted from 1954 through 1975 however, disputes dated back to the 1940s. Over 3 million people died during this war. More than half that number was Vietnamese civilians. 58 thousand Americans were also killed in the Vietnam War. A lot like the Korean War, the Vietnam War was the North battling the South. The North Vietnamese communists had the backing of the Soviet Union to spread communism...
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...essay on cold war ‘Account for the phenomenon, known as the cold war, which dominated world politics between 1945 - 1989. Evaluate the extent to which the principal nations involved fought proxy wars as a substitute for armed conflict with each other. In this essay I will discuss the extent to which the principal nations, mainly the USA and the Soviet Union fought proxy wars as a substitute for armed conflict with each other during the Cold War between 1945 – 1989. As the Second World War ended in 1945 with the victory of the allies, a new war was launched. It was a battle predominantly between the USA and the Soviet Union, between two conflicting ideologies: America’s capitalism versus and the Soviet Union’s communism. Ranging from two of the most devastating wars; the Korean War (1950) and the Vietnam war in the 60s, to the smaller conflicts in the Middle East and Africa in terms of the scale of the battle, every corner of the globe was involved in the Cold War. (Dunbabin 1994) The USA and the Soviet Union were the sole super powers at the end of the Second World War. There are a number of views regarding why the Cold war was unavoidable, and one of the reasons is that both countries were expansionist. The USA in particular was afraid of the Soviet sphere of influence over Europe in particular, believing that it needed to be contained. (Mowry, 1962) But on the part of the Soviet Union, it was also afraid of the USA’s power and its ideology which it believed to...
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...THE KOREAN WAR * The Korean War lasted from 1950-1953. * The peninsula was divided after World War Two into a Russian-backed north (The People’s Democratic Republic) and the American-backed south (the Republic of Korea). Each claimed the right to the other half in an effort to unify both. The division was the result of the occupation of Korea by the communists after the end of the war with the country eventually being divided at the 38th parallel. * In June 1950, the North Koreans launched a surprise attack against the south and the capital Seoul fell in just three days. * The United Nations Security Council (which was being boycotted by Russia at this time) asked for UN states to send troops to the region under a UN flag. The huge bulk of the troops sent were American (15 nations sent troops) and command of them was given to Gen. Douglas MacArthur. * By the end of August 1950 only Pusan in the south-east corner of South Korea had not fallen to the North. * In September, MacArthur took the huge risk of launching an amphibious landing at Inchon 200 miles behind enemy lines and from here he launched an attack against the North Koreans at Pusan. * The North Koreans had no choice but to retreat as they faced being cut in two. * MacArthur chose to ignore his orders and advanced north towards the Chinese border at the Yalu River. This provoked the Chinese to launch a massive attack against the UN forces and South Korea. A Chinese army of 180,000 men supported...
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...Today’s American Foreign Policy has not only been molded around the political steam rollers ideology of present and past, has carried fourth most of the same ideology throughout . As we analyze American Foreign Policy implemented over the course of World War I and World War II, The Vietnam War, The Korean War, and policies brought fourth during The Wars’ on Terrorism (Iraq and Afghanistan) we will illustrate the setbacks and failures of each while drawing significant relations between all. Before discussion the different American Foreign Policies we must understand what a Foreign Policy is and how it may affect us. By definition “foreign policy- a policy pursued by a nation in its dealings with other nations, designed to achieve national objectives.” (foreign policy, n.d.). The intentions of the American Foreign Policies are put in place to protect not only American business world but the globalization of the free market, although at time the American Policies are called into question with tremendous criticism, they are intended to protect the American people from the capable harm of other nations. “Global public opinion is not a new concern for U.S. foreign policy. Woodrow Wilson often referred to it, even stating that it "ultimately governs the world" (cited in Ninkovich 1999, 67).” (Goldsmith, B.E, Horiuchi, Y., Inoguchi, T., Jun., 2005) By assuming this role of the protector of all, the American Government felt they must adopt the “intervention role” thus policing the...
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...After the end of World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union were the world’s most powerful nations. However, both nations had different views on economics and government, the clash of their ideas was known as the Cold War. United States is a capitalist country, meaning that they allowed people to control their businesses and their production. On the other hand, the Soviet Union is a communist country, meaning that the government controlled the production of good and resources. Both sides struggled for international power and tried to expand. Both nations exploited every opportunity of expansion anywhere in the world, which led to the Cold War. Asia The Cold War had influenced the split of Korea and Vietnam. Korea had split along...
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...How successful was the USA’s policy of containment? The policy of containment was not a success, As after the war, The USA aimed to quarantine communism to the only place it existed, Russia. However soon despite this, communism spread and communist dictatorship controlled most of Eastern Europe, soon after this the most populated state on earth, China, fell to a communist regime, as well as the creation of communist states in Vietnam and Korea. This consistent creation of communist states and the failure of the USA to prevent this, shows how ultimately, despite apparent success in some of Europe and Asia, the Policy of Containment failed in its primary function, to contain and prevent the spread of communism and therefore it was not a success. However it is arguable that in some ways the USA’s Policy of Containment was a great success in preventing the spread of communism early on during the Cold War. One piece of evidence that supports the argument that the USA had early success with their policy of containment is The Greek Civil War. The USA’s decision to intervene due to the “strategic significance of Greece in the Balkans and the Mediterranean” arguably was successful. With this clear threat of communist expansion into Western Europe, Truman called for congress to uphold the Truman Doctrine and provide funding to aid the battle against the spread of communism that clearly threatened the USA’s interests in Europe. This resulted in $400 million dollars of funding being...
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...focuses primarily on training for low intensity conflicts throughout the Pacific region. However, the 25th ID is fully involved in the Global War on Terror and deploys units in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq. The Tropical Lightning Division underwent the Army's modular re-organization in 2006. The 25th Infantry Division now has four Brigade Combat Teams (BCT) and an Aviation Brigade. The 1st and 2nd BCTs have fielded the Stryker combat vehicle, and the 4th BCT is Airborne qualified. The division's shoulder patch, a lightning bolt superimposed on a taro leaf, was formally adopted in 1943. The colors of gold and red were those of the late Hawaiian monarchy. While soldiers over the years have jokingly nicknamed the patch the "Electric Chili Pepper" or the "Electric Strawberry," in 1953, the nickname "Tropic Lightning" was officially adopted. In 1921, the United States Army formed the Hawaiian Division to protect the islands and our growing interests in the Pacific region. On October 1, 1941, the Hawaiian Division was split to create the 24th and 25th Infantry Divisions. The 25th Infantry Division was stationed at Schofield Barracks, on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The Division was just over two months old when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor thrusting the United States into World War Two. After the attack, the Division moved into beach defensive positions, preparing to defend Honolulu from invasion. The division continued...
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...How far was the Korean War a military and political success for the USA? Arguably, the numerous political and militant events mean that it is possible to state that the Korean War was infact a success for the USA, with events such as the Inchon Landings, and the pushing back of the opposing forces to the 38th Parallel. However, it can be equally argued that it was a Military failure, with the most obvious example being the retreat following the Dragon Attacks. Similarly, the complex political nature of this war also means that success is debatable, for example, the anti – communist paranoia and the decision to introduce General McArthur. The Inchon Landings serve as on of the most famed military successes achieved by the US army to this very day. Despite being extremely risky in theory, with the very real possibility of the target area being mined by the North Koreans, the attack went on regardless, under the orders of McArthur. This event was a hugely successful attack, taking the Koreans by complete surprise, and as a result Inchon was successfully taken. Moreover, in terms of military casualties for the US, these were extremely minimal. Furthermore, the entire North Korea position within South Korea collapsed, a massively success story in the eyes of the US. Additionally, Walkers army in Pusan forced the remainder of North Korean troops into retreat. As a result, Kim’s forces were left with no option but to return to the 38th Parallel, due to being subsequently cut off...
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...Introduction To date, World War II was the world’s worst event in human history. Colonisation is one of the reasons as to why World War II was the most horrific. Many Asian nations such as Korea, Vietnam and the part of China and so on were colonised by the European powers and Japan during World War II. And it had been raging for more than four years. Although several Asian nations were decolonised by the European powers and Japan after World War II, the wounds of the war were too serious; millions of people died and women raped and killed. Survived people still have suffered permanent injury from disease, psychological trauma of the war and social ostracism. Now, today’s Asian cinemas have been portrayed as traumatic memories of military terror to remind the history. This essay shed light on the significance of trauma in both films; The Flowers of War and The White Silk Dress in connection with the history of Korea. The Flowers of War In 1937, Nanking (today more commonly called Nanjing) Massacre was enforced for 6 weeks by Japanese troops. Millions of Chinese people cruelly died regardless of age or sex. It is also called as The Rape of Nanking, because the Japanese troops raped and killed a great number of Chinese women (Chambers 2010). The Chinese movie, the Flowers of War shows the bald historical fact of Nanjing Massacre in 1937. It is a remake of the Chinese novella, 13 Flowers of Nanjing. Then China’s Nationalist party developed friendly relations with the Nazi Germany...
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...187th Infantry The Regimental Motto: “Ne Desit Virtus” ---- “ Let Valor Not Fail” 187th Infantry Regiment is a regiment that has fought in many wars and conflicts. Originating out of Fort Mackall in North Carolina the 187th Infantry Regiment was activated on the twenty-fifth day of February, 1943. The 187th is a highly decorated regiment. They have been involved in wars such as World War ll, The Korean War, and The Vietnam War are three of the wars that the unit has been a part of. The unit has also deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan under its belt. The unit has three Medals of Honor recipients. The 187th is currently based out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The 187th Infantry Regiment was activated during World War ll. The Regiment arrived in New Guinea on the twenty-ninth day of May, 1944. On the eighteenth day of November, 1944. The unit joined the Leyete Campaign; soon after the unit left The Leyete Campaign they joined The Luzon Campaign by assaulting the Nasugbu Point Luzon in late January. From late January to April the unit fought its way through many hotspots such as the Nichols Field, Fort William McKinley, Mount Macikid, and Malipunyo. After fighting these through these hot spots the unit moved inside Lipa as part of Operation Downfall. The...
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...its troops on the Indochina border the pervious winter. Moreover, both the Soviet Union and Communist China acknowledged the Ho chi Minh regime as the presiding government of Vietnam. China also began to train and supply military weapons to the Viet Minh (Revolutionary League for the Independence of Vietnam), which was, at the time, developing into a major communist hotbed. Top U.S. officials informed the president that they would either have to support the legal government in Indochina or face the spread of communism in Southeast Asia. Ho Chi Minh, founder and president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, was a fervent revolutionary whose ultimate goal was independence for his country. [http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/vietnam/vn04_01b.jpg] American officials were cognizant of the fact that only the complete decolonization of Indochina could establish a stable noncommunist force in the lands surrounding China. However, the American position to fulfill this objective was inadequate. The French were historically ill disposed to allowing Americans to meddle in their internal affairs. Furthermore, the French were paranoid that the United States had the intention to usurp their economic and political power in Indochina. Because of its apprehension about the Soviet danger to destitute post-World War II Western Europe, America was concerned with obtaining France’s support for the creation of a European Defense Community (EDC). Therefore, the European Defense Community was...
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...Australia’s fear for communism was in 2 forms: fear of communism spreading to Australia and fear of its emergence from within Australian society. During the 1950s and 1960s events such as the Korean and Malayan Emergency, the Petrov Affair and the Vietnam War all contributed and spurred on this nation-wide fear. Two theories also developed in this time: the domino theory and the concept of forward defence. After WW2 people doubted that the subsequent peace and security would not last, it was a period of fear and tension. WW2 had justified Australia’s long-standing fear for its vast Asian neighbours, especially Japan. So when the revolutionary communism dominated China in October 1949, propagandas changed their target, portraying communism as a disease; Australia’s original fear of invasion by its Asian neighbours changed to fear of communism. The phrase ‘reds under the beds’ originated in this period, meaning that there were people that saw communists everywhere. Australia under the Menzies government ardently sought to expose communism within Australia. Menzies tried to pass the Communist Party Dissolution Bill in 1950 and was determined even after its rejection to ban the Party. He pushed for a referendum in September 1951 but that was also unsuccessful. There were many alleged communist plots, but in April 1954 came the most notable one of all: the Petrov Affair. The Petrov Affair was basically the exposure of the third secretary of the Soviet Embassy in Canberra...
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