First up, Vietnam. Next up, Afghanistan (1980's) followed by all sorts of fun in South America. Rewind to the Korean war etc.
Results 1 to 16 of 16
Cold War Proxy Wars?
I know that the Cold War wasn't an official war and there weren't any fronts, but I have heard that the USSR and the USA had proxy wars through other countries. I haven't found any information on it, so I thought I'd ask here. Anybody wanna share this knowledge with me? Like, what countries and how and whatnot.
First up, Vietnam. Next up, Afghanistan (1980's) followed by all sorts of fun in South America. Rewind to the Korean war etc.
I didn't think all those were actually proxy wars, except for Afghanistan, of course. Well thanks, now I know what to research.
Yep. Pretty much every war since the end of WW2. Small wars fought by the CIA and large scale wars with direct US military involvement. Read as much as you can concerning South America, there's much to read. It's pretty disturbing. I tried to post some links but I guess I can't until I have 25 posts.
Last edited by Amphictyonis; 19th September 2010 at 07:50.
There were also some African countries involved.
Check Angola, Somalia and Ethoipia for the big ones.
Yes, I do have a sailors mouth. Did it offend you? Then toughen up you pussy penis!
Do to Iseuls claims I am a Sexist, I added penis!
I dont like being a wage slave =
"Using negative rep as a weapon against other people just reveals your cowardly and reactionary nature."
--Iseul
"And once again, the old dictum is confirmed that the worst product of fascism was 'anti-fascism'."
-- Zanthorus
Egypt vs. Isreal
Just read Chomsky or Zinn or Parenti, the Left Trinity for Cold War information.
Also, William Blum which gives a detailed account of all the major Proxy wars of the US vs. USSR.
Remember though that the fight against Communism was really just included in the greater project for capital accumulation and imperial dominance by the US.
Korea, Malay emergency(1948-1960) Mozambique civil war, Angolan civil war, Ethiopian civil war, Rhodesian Bush war, vietnam, afghanistan, salvadoran civil war, Contra Insurgency in Nicaragua, La violencia in Colombia+ subsequent internal conflict, Pinochet's coup d'etat, Dirty wars in South America, especially Argentina and Uruguay, Guevara's insurgency in Bolivia, Vietnam-cambodian wars, 1953 Coup d'etat in Iran, Iran-Iraq war, Invasion of grenada 1983, etc.
Pax Americana, my ass. Liberal historians can be so insensitive.
The white washing of Vietnam was also horrendous. The bombing campaigns engaged in that venture dwarfed the kind done during the bombing of Dresden and the firebombing of Tokyo.
Wasn't it the biggest bombing campaign ever engaged in or just in US history?
General Westmoreland was a war criminal. "West-More-Land".
Alright, thanks a lot. Looks like I have a lot to read. It would be pretty useful if someone could link me to some deep sources though, since I have no skills in finding unbiased information, it seems. I'd like to learn as much as I can.
Also learn about the Khmer Rouge, Lon Nol and the US refusal to recognize the state created after Vietnam invaded and ousted Pol Pot. From 1975 till the 90s, the USA and the rest of the UN would refuse to recognize any government of Cambodia other than that of the Khmer Rouge, aka Democratic Kampuchea. They even gave direct material aid after they fell from power.
Basically, they made a mess, then ousted Sihanouk to make a bigger mess, backed Lon Nol who made an even bigger mess, then the Khmer Rouge took over because the people were pissed about all the bombs raining down on their heads and Lon Nol's bloody, repressive government. Then in 1975, even after the Cambodian Genocide was totally exposed by Vietnam, the USA wanted to cling to the mess they had made by supporting the ousted Khmer Rouge, and they did that until the People's Republic of Kampuchea was replaced with the modern Cambodian state in the 1990s.
"The people, always generous, and the enemy of revenge, will break bread with all who have stayed in its bosom, expropriators and expropriated. In this way, when work begins again, former combatants will be together in the same workshop."
Libertarias
COMMUNISM-IT'S WHAT'S FOR DINNER!
fka Commissarusa
Ah, I'm not surprised. Well that's interesting, looks like something to read more about. I'm all about reading and learning and whatnot.
Somalia vs Ethopia was an interesting war, since it wasnt really a unilateral proxy war, but rather a bilateral proxy war. Two regime calling itself socialist fought each other over petty tribalist and chauvinist expansiondrift to claim Ogaden. The USSR, Cuba and the eastern block seeing Somalia as highly oppertuinist, waving the flag of any power serving their interest (suddenly jumping the NATO and US bandwagon), gave support for Ethopia (while still being dodgy on some points, had genuine socialist reforms, even though its militaristic character). Meanwhile the Eritreans decided to hold a war of seperation at the same time and jumped the Hoxhaist bandwagon together with the Tigreans to join the anti-revisionist opposition in Etiophia. Funny how when they got into power, they just as easily dropped their ideological baggage.
Just pointing out here how proxy wars arent always a unilateral war of interest by big powers.
[FONT=Calibri]And also, the US fought against Russia before the end of WWII, although those conflicts aren’t traditionally viewed by academics as part of the Cold War. Still, thousands of American troops occupied tiny sections of the new Soviet Union between 1918-20. That was actually a shooting war although the Americans didn’t do much of the heavy lifting against the Bolsheviks during the conflict. Also, tacit American support from Washington during the Spanish Civil War in at least its neutrality (1936-39), along with rather open American business support of the Nationalists could be viewed as a Cold-Waresq strategy to contain the “Soviet threat.” I’m sure I missed some in there, just food for thought anyway.[/FONT]
Nobody said the Greek Civil War yet?
