U.S .Containment Policy

Paper Summary:

This paper describes the U.S. policy of containment and follows it from its inception just after the Second World War to the end of the Cold War with the fall of the Soviet Union. It looks at the different policies that in themselves helped to make up the policy of containment, such as the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan. Also, all of the major conflicts in which this policy was employed are examined along with the ramifications of its employment. The paper spans seven presidencies and examines how the policy changed and adapted to the changing domestic attitudes of the time and the outlook of the president at the time.

From the Paper:

"With a change in the administration came a change in how the Cold War was fought and how the policy of containment was adapted to the contemporary political environment. The Kennedy/Johnson years of 1961-69 were characterised by a 'flexible response strategy' and Kennedy's 'New Frontier' strategy focused on two things, MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) and the battle for hearts and minds and the capabilities of the Third World. The highpoint of the Kennedy administration and of containment under his administration was the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, where the fate of the world was balanced on a knife edge during the heated confrontations and negotiations between Kennedy and Soviet premier Khrushchev. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• How U.S. foreign policy is made, Nancy Hoepli-Phalon, Great Decisions Foreign Policy Association 2006 issue
• The United Nations: post summit outlook, Thomas G. Weeissand and Barbara Crossette, Great Decisions Foreign Policy Association 2006 issue
• The Energy Policy Conundrum, William Sweet, Great Decisions Foreign Policy Association 2006 issue
• Strategic Dilemmas and the Evolution of German Foreign Policy Since Unification, Lantis, Praeger Publishers, 2002
• 'Bundestag Supports Military Strikes in Afghanistan', transcript of speech to the Bundestag, German Information Centre, October 12, 2001, www.germany-info.org/newcontent/np/politics_a2.html

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