Abstract
In this article, the writer discusses that while orthodox Marxism prophesying the breakdown of capitalism and the advent of a classless society, as well as Marxist-Leninist Soviet foreign policy, became indeed obsolete as soon as the Cold War ended, in other areas Marxism continued to have a strong influence. In the second part of this analysis it is argued that Marxism remains after the end of the Cold War a major source of inspiration for alternative ways of thinking to the pre-dominant neoliberal consensus, especially in the development debate. In the third and last part it is further argued that Marxism is also of great value to the study of international relations in the area of nationalism.

From the Paper
"Thus the critique Marx made of liberal economics in the nineteenth century is today of equal importance to the critics of the present neoliberal world order in the development debate and the anti-globalisation discourse. Certain revisionist countries in Latin America led by Venezuela for instance have in the last years found Marx a great source of inspiration if not for their true policy aims at least for a markedly anti-American rhetoric. Only recently the Italian government fell because two ideologically motivated communist senators voted against the expansion of an American military base."
"Traditionally, Marxism is criticised precisely for failing to provide a coherent account of international relations. In particular, he is said to lack a theoretical framework to understand armed conflicts. Yet the international is central to Marx's thought and it therefore remains crucial to the study of international relations. While Marx does recognise the importance of the state in international relations, unlike realist theorists he regards social class rather than the state as the fundamental actor in international relations."

Tags:revolutionist, theory, foreign, policy, society

Abstract
During the course of this essay the writer evaluates and examines the legitimacy of the claim that the US media had a role in the defeat of the United States in the Vietnam War because it turned public opinion against the war and thus made the war unwinnable. The writer maintains that this claim has to some extent been allowed to cloud the discussion over why the US were unsuccessful in Vietnam. The writer maintains that the media role was an extremely influential element in the eventual US withdrawal, but it was by no means the most important component. The writer begins by examining the role of military factors in America's defeat, ranging from flaws in the overall policy of containment to the military ineptness of US forces in the field. The writer maintains that these factors played a pivotal role in the US's inability to successfully prosecute the war. The writer then moves onto the media impact, which in itself was a tremendously important factor.

From the Paper
"As is often the case when an enemy lives and survives within the wider population, the US forces found it virtually impossible to distinguish between Vietcong fighters and South Vietnamese civilians; they simply could not tell who the enemy was. The chemical defoliant agent orange was used to destroy forests or anything else that might give cover to the enemy, very often accompanied by the explosive jelly napalm. This military strategy produced few favourable results for the US and the effect it had on anyone caught in its path was devastating. Therefore, what these types of attacks did serve to do was to alienate US forces from the wider population and therefore destroy any possibility of winning 'hearts and minds'. Furthermore, although bombing intensified and the number of troops and equipment grew rapidly, US forces still found it impossible to halt the movement of Vietcong troops and supplies from North to South along the Ho Chi Minh trail."

Tags:enemy, conflict, Japanese, armies

Abstract
This essay provides an extensive analysis of contemporary conflicts. It examines the nature of guerrilla warfare and how it can negate the technological superiority of larger states. It studies the tactical lessons drawn from individual conflicts and the changing roles of the army, navy and air force, as well as the importance of effective combined arms. It also studies modern warfare from a political viewpoint, the role of the media and the ability of the United Nations to secure a stable international environment.

From the Paper
"The conflicts of the past twenty-five years have been notable for their range and variety. Few corners of the globe have been left untouched; the recent terrorist attacks in New York and Washington have even brought conflict to America's doorstep, and only the continent of Australasia has remained relatively unscathed. Furthermore, the types of conflict have been as varied as they have been widespread, including wars of nationalism, revenge, territorial acquisition, ideology and humanitarian intervention. These wars have manifested themselves in a variety of different ways, from old-style trench warfare seemingly copied straight out of the First World War, to high-precision bombing campaigns, where the attackers are almost completely removed from the battlefield, and experience few, if any, casualties. Therefore, it is difficult to generalize about the lessons derived from these wars. This period has been dominated by the decline and fall of the Soviet Union, and few conflicts have occurred, even a decade later, which have not been affected by the legacy of the Cold War. Formerly suppressed nationalism has been released, reviving age-old tensions in the former Yugoslavia, and sparking many civil wars across Africa, whilst the Soviet Union's demise has caused the United States and her allies to look elsewhere for enemies to fill the Soviet gap, particularly the Middle-East, and potentially China. Meanwhile, many believe that the United States is going through a 'revolution in military affairs', heralded by her victories over Iraq and the Taliban Alliance. However, neither victory proved her ability to defeat a popular, irregular army: Iraq deployed a conventional force, whilst the Taliban had little local support, and had to fight against the Northern Alliance as well. Thus, the Soviet experience in Afghanistan, and the Russian experience in Chechnya, still provide important lessons for the future."

Tags:afghanistan, artillery, chechnya, iraq, kosovo

Abstract
This paper attempts to analyze the events surrounding the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. It provides an overview of the years leading up to the invasion, looking at the relationship between Afghanistan and the Soviet Union and how political relations between the two countries changed to such an extent that a military intervention was considered necessary. It outlines the main arguments presented by historians for the invasion along with the author's opinion on the matter. It also examines some of the long term historical relationship between the countries in order to show that it was the perceived primitive state of Afghan politics that has made it a target for invaders in the past.

Outline
Afghanistan in Historical Context
Afghanistan Turns to the East
The ?Saur? Revolution
Examining the Historical Debate
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The first major event to affect the time leading up to the civil war in Afghanistan was the return from a decade of political exile of Mohammed Daoud Khan, in 1973. Daoud had been prime minister of Afghanistan until 1963, when his insistence on focusing on the question of reclaiming Afghan territories from Pakistan, rather than modernizing Afghanistan as the King (Daoud's cousin) Nadir Khan wished, had led to his forced resignation . Daoud's return was in trouble really from before he actually returned to Afghanistan. Whilst he had been away, a rather haphazard constitutional monarchy had been established. Unfortunately (for Daoud at least) during this time many different political groups had emerged and grown stronger over the years . When Daoud returned he sought to re-establish an old style government, like the one he had left. While he was out of politics, Daoud saw both the issue of the areas of Pakistan which Afghanistan claimed, and the links he had made with the Soviets given less and less importance. The final straw was a particularly dry summer in Afghanistan, which led to a widespread famine during 1971."

Tags:revolution, saur, daoud, khan, east

Abstract
This paper discusses how the seeds of the Cold War were already sown at the 1945 Yalta conference between Josef Stalin, Winston Churchill and Theodore Roosevelt. It tracks the antagonism that grew between Russia and the other two countries culminating in the development of Soviet nuclear technology. It also looks at the rise of communism and the west's attempt to stop it from spreading including the formation of NATO.

From the Paper
"Many important decisions were made at Yalta, most notably the
re-establishing and giving back independence to the countries, which
had been conquered and destroyed by Nazi Germany. At the end of World War Two, most Western nations wanted to re-establish the liberated states of Eastern Europe as democratic states with capitalist
economies. However the Soviet Union dictator, Joseph Stalin believed
that the Soviet Union had the right to control Eastern Europe. Stalin
had argued that since the Soviet Union had twice been invaded by
Germany in less than twenty-five years, it was necessary for him to
protect his country through the creation of Eastern European Communist
buffer states, controlled by the Soviet Union and protecting it at the
same time."

Tags:yalta, churchill, stalin, roosevelt, communism, nuclear, truman, nato

Abstract
This paper attempts to determine whether or not the cold war was unavoidable by identifying both its origins and its outbreak. It looks at how, although 1945 is recognised by many as the ?start? of the war and 1992 its ?end?, many also identify the the post-war conferences and subsequent developments of the 1940?s as key issues in the origins of the cold war. It explores the relationship/grand alliance between America and the Soviet Union, the influence of personality on the war and the role of nuclear weapons as well as exploring the influence of the 1919 revolution in a larger historical context.

From the Paper
"The influence of ideology in the emergence of the cold war must not be underestimated. The potential for conflict arose in 1917 with the ending of the "old order" and the creating of a power vacuum. At the same time, events of that year planted a seed into Russian society that could be said to have flowered in the perfect climate of post-war Russia. This seed was communism. Lenin and Marx were responsible for the development of communism, yet not for the cold war. A "communist" Soviet Union together with a "capitalist" America illustrate the single most likely origins of the cold war and suggest to a degree, that tension was unavoidable. Traditionalists argue that the very existence of two superpowers, with similar destructive capabilities (after the USSR became an atomic power), made tension inevitable."

Tags:lenin, america, soviet, union, nuclear, weapons, hiroshima

Abstract
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. "

Tags:Truman, Doctrine, Marshall, Plan, Domino, Theory, Cuban, Missile, Crisis, Vietnam, Korea

Abstract
A look at the occupation of Afghanistan by the Soviets. The author examines this occupation from the time before conflict till the time the Soviets fought against Afghan soldiers. A look at the events leading up to this occupation.

From the Paper
"The Soviet experience in Afghanistan is like that of many other world powers throughout history. Nations such as the United States, Britain, France, and China have all enjoyed the difficulties of imperialism. One in which a large, broad, foreign force was used to counter a small force of relatively ill-equipped, native insurgents. In each of these cases the indigenous forces were clearly outgunned and out manned, however they proved to be indomitable. Their will and persistence was stronger than any professional army, more destructive than any modern weapon, and more capable than any highly trained soldier."

Tags:east, middle, russia, terrorism, war

Abstract
A variety of reasons influenced Khrushchev's decision to install missiles into Cuba, including pressures from home, the U.S., Europe, China, and Cuba itself. This essay examines the importance of the different factors, and in doing so challenges the often held theory that Kennedy won, and Khrushchev lost.

From the Paper
"In international opinion, the Soviet Union was largely held to have been defeated in the Cuban Missile Crisis, having been 'successfully rebuffed' by John F. Kennedy, who had displayed 'cool nerve during an extraordinarily dangerous situation' . Such was the nature of the Soviet Union's perceived defeat that it influenced a break in Sino-Soviet relations; the Chinese viewing the Soviet Union's withdrawal of nuclear missiles in response to a U.S. quarantine as a sign of their weak resolve in the face of U.S. strength; thus, the Soviet Union did not warrant her status as the protector of world communism. In the West, the Soviet Union was widely regarded as having been the aggressor, and her placing of missiles in Cuba was an aggressive policy which could have resulted in nuclear war. Khrushchev defended himself, claiming that his sole purpose had been in 'protecting the freedom-loving people of Cuba' , a purpose in which he had been entirely successful as he had stalled imminent U.S. military action against Cuba, and had extracted a promise from the U.S. not to support action against Cuba in the future. However, none of these viewpoints reflected the full picture. Khrushchev had never intended nuclear war, neither had he solely sought to protect Cuba from U.S. aggression. Indeed, Khrushchev can be shown to have had a wide range of aims and objectives, some realized, some failed, but which question the plausibility of his perceived 'defeat'."

Tags:castro, china, communist, cuba, kennedy, khruschev, missile, soviet, united, ussr

Abstract
In this paper the writer puts forward the reasons that account for the growth in Perestroika, such as the economic decline and social despair suffered by the populations of Russia and the countries of Communist Eastern Europe. It also looks at the man who was responsible for the introduction of Perestroika, Mikhail Gorbachev and why he wanted to introduce Perestroika.

From the Paper
"The Soviet Union and its satellite countries were on a continual downward spiral from the late 50's and 60's. Ruled from Moscow, the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe was suffering a very poor economy and social conditions such as housing, welfare and food supply. Leonid Brezhnev, who became Secretary General of the Soviet Communist Party in 1964, reinforced the strict regime of communism. All private ownership in Russia was ended, a mass programme of industrialization was started and the Soviet military strength was significantly enhanced."

Tags:cold war, Eastern Europe, Glasnost, Gorbachev, Perestroika, Russia, Soviet Union