What are the key events that took place during the Cold War? What can we learn from them?
The only good is that there was no major war between the superpowers (which would have engulfed many nations if it broke out). The nearest to outright conflict was the Bay of Pigs showdown – Kruschev backed off. Phew! The world breathed again. Lessons to be learned? Talks, negotiations, detente are key to decreasing tensions. I don’t think the US have learned much from the first Cold War because subsequent administrations have put us on the path to the 2nd Cold War. Russia has re-emerged with greater wealth now to re-arm their military; paraded their military might – all this to counter US aggressive foreign policy. The US have missed the boat (again) to influence a new world order that would be ‘more peaceful’; whether intentionally or not is a matter of opinion. I think with Iraq, the US has crossed the rubicon; welcoming former Warsaw Pact countries into a bigger NATO threatens Russia. This and other US military adventurism put us all back on the road to Cold War-II – this time the
