THE COLD WAR AND THE EXPLOITS OF THE SELF PROCLAIMED WORLD POLICEMEN. THE UNITED STATES, HOWEVER, HAD TO CONTEND WITH THE SOVIET UNION, WHICH HAD ALSO HAS EMERGED FROM THE SECOND WORLD WAR AS A WORLD POWER. FOR THE NEXT 45 YEARS, THE WORLD WAS CAUGHT IN A GLOBAL TURF BATTLE BETWEEN THE "TWO SUPERPOWERS". THE US WAS ALWAYS MUCH STRONGER THAN ITS SOVIET ADVERSARY, BUT BOTH COUNTRIES MAINTAINED HUGE MILITARY FORCES TO DEFEND AND EXPAND THEIR OWN SPHERE'S OF INFLUENCE.. THE CONTENTION BETWEEN THE TWO POWERS WAS CALLED THE "COLD WAR", BECAUSE THEY NEVER DIRECTLY ENGAGED EACH OTHER IN BATTLE. BUT THE COLD WAR WAS MARKED BY PLENTY OF VIOLENCE IN OTHER COUNTRIES. TYPICALLY THE TWO SUPERPOWERS LINED UP ON THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF EVERY CONFLICT.
FOR ITS PART, THE UNITED STATES MOVED TO EXPAND ITS OWN SPHERE OF INFLUENCE BEYOND THE AMERICA'S AND THE PACIFIC TO INCLUDE MUCH OF THE OLD BRITISH, FRENCH, AND JAPANESE COLONIAL EMPIRES IN ASIA AND AFRICA. IN DOING SO, IT HAD TO DEAL WITH LOCAL ASPIRATIONS THAT DID NOT ALWAYS ACCORD WITH AMERICAN PLANS. TO PUT DOWN INSUBORDINATION, DISORDER AND DISLOYALTY IN ITS SPHERE, THE NEW MAJORITY STOCKHOLDER ALSO APPOINTED ITSELF THE "WORLD POLICEMAN" DURING THE COLD WAR, WASHINGTON INTERVENED MILITARILY IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES 200 TIMES.
AFTER WORLD WAR 2, THE AMBITIOUS PLANS OF THE US STATE DEPARTMENT FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC WERE UPSET COMPLETELY BY REVOLUTIONS AND ANTI-COLONIAL WARS FROM CHINA TO MALAYSIA. A MAJOR CONFRONTATION DEVELOPED IN KOREA. WASHINGTON DECIDED TO INTERVENE DIRECTLY TO SHOW THAT WESTERN MILITARY TECHNOLOGY COULD DEFEAT ANY ASIAN ARMY. U.S. WARSHIPS, BOMBERS, AND ARTILLERY REDUCED MUCH OF KOREA TO RUBBLE, OVER 4,500,000 KOREANS DIED, 3 OUT OF 4 WERE CIVILIANS. 54,000 US SOLDIERS RETURNED HOME IN COFFINS, BUT THE U.S. MILITARY DID NOT PREVAIL. AFTER 3 YEARS OF INTENSE FIGHTING AND WARFARE, A CEASE FIRE WAS NEGOTIATED. KOREA IS STILL DIVIDED AND SOME 40,000 U.S. TROOPS REMAIN IN SOUTHERN KOREA TO THIS DAY.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC....AFTER A U.S. BACKED MILITARY COUP, DOMINICANS ROSE UP TO DEMAND THE REINSTATEMENT OF THE OVERTHROWN PRESIDENT (WHO THEY ELECTED IN A POPULAR VOTE). WASHINGTON, HOWEVER, WAS DETERMINED TO KEEP ITS MEN IN POWER, NO MATTER WHO THE DOMINICANS VOTED FOR. 22,000 US TROOPS WERE SENT TO SUPPRESS THE UPRISING, 3000 PEOPLE WERE GUNNED DOWN IN THE STREETS OF SANTO DOMINGO.
FOR TEN YEARS, THE U.S. ASSAULTED VIET NAM WITH ALL THE DEADLY FORCE THE PENTAGON COULD MUSTER, TRYING TO PRESERVE A CORRUPT SOUTH VIETNAMESE REGIME, WHICH HAD BEEN INHERITED FROM THE FRENCH COLONIAL EMPIRE. THE U.S. MAY HAVE USED MORE FIREPOWER IN INDOCHINA (VIETNAM, LAOS, AND CAMBODIA), THAN HAD BEEN USED BY ALL SIDES IN ALL PREVIOUS WARS IN HUMAN HISTORY. U.S. WARPLANES DROPPED 7 MILLION TONS OF BOMBS ON VIETNAM. 400,000 TONS OF NAPALM WERE RAINED DOWN ON THE TINY COUNTRY. AGENT ORANGE AND OTHER TOXIC HERBICIDES WERE USED TO DESTROY MILLIONS OF ACRES OF FARMLAND AND FORESTS.. VILLAGES BURNED TO THE GROUND AND THEIR RESIDENTS MASSACRED, ALTOGETHER TWO MILLION PEOPLE DIED IN THE INDOCHINA WAR. MOST OF THEM CIVILIANS KILLED BY U.S. BOMBS AND BULLETS. NEARLY 60,000 U.S. SOLDIERS WERE KILLED AND 300,000 WOUNDED...
TO BE CONTINUED.....
FOR ITS PART, THE UNITED STATES MOVED TO EXPAND ITS OWN SPHERE OF INFLUENCE BEYOND THE AMERICA'S AND THE PACIFIC TO INCLUDE MUCH OF THE OLD BRITISH, FRENCH, AND JAPANESE COLONIAL EMPIRES IN ASIA AND AFRICA. IN DOING SO, IT HAD TO DEAL WITH LOCAL ASPIRATIONS THAT DID NOT ALWAYS ACCORD WITH AMERICAN PLANS. TO PUT DOWN INSUBORDINATION, DISORDER AND DISLOYALTY IN ITS SPHERE, THE NEW MAJORITY STOCKHOLDER ALSO APPOINTED ITSELF THE "WORLD POLICEMAN" DURING THE COLD WAR, WASHINGTON INTERVENED MILITARILY IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES 200 TIMES.
AFTER WORLD WAR 2, THE AMBITIOUS PLANS OF THE US STATE DEPARTMENT FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC WERE UPSET COMPLETELY BY REVOLUTIONS AND ANTI-COLONIAL WARS FROM CHINA TO MALAYSIA. A MAJOR CONFRONTATION DEVELOPED IN KOREA. WASHINGTON DECIDED TO INTERVENE DIRECTLY TO SHOW THAT WESTERN MILITARY TECHNOLOGY COULD DEFEAT ANY ASIAN ARMY. U.S. WARSHIPS, BOMBERS, AND ARTILLERY REDUCED MUCH OF KOREA TO RUBBLE, OVER 4,500,000 KOREANS DIED, 3 OUT OF 4 WERE CIVILIANS. 54,000 US SOLDIERS RETURNED HOME IN COFFINS, BUT THE U.S. MILITARY DID NOT PREVAIL. AFTER 3 YEARS OF INTENSE FIGHTING AND WARFARE, A CEASE FIRE WAS NEGOTIATED. KOREA IS STILL DIVIDED AND SOME 40,000 U.S. TROOPS REMAIN IN SOUTHERN KOREA TO THIS DAY.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC....AFTER A U.S. BACKED MILITARY COUP, DOMINICANS ROSE UP TO DEMAND THE REINSTATEMENT OF THE OVERTHROWN PRESIDENT (WHO THEY ELECTED IN A POPULAR VOTE). WASHINGTON, HOWEVER, WAS DETERMINED TO KEEP ITS MEN IN POWER, NO MATTER WHO THE DOMINICANS VOTED FOR. 22,000 US TROOPS WERE SENT TO SUPPRESS THE UPRISING, 3000 PEOPLE WERE GUNNED DOWN IN THE STREETS OF SANTO DOMINGO.
FOR TEN YEARS, THE U.S. ASSAULTED VIET NAM WITH ALL THE DEADLY FORCE THE PENTAGON COULD MUSTER, TRYING TO PRESERVE A CORRUPT SOUTH VIETNAMESE REGIME, WHICH HAD BEEN INHERITED FROM THE FRENCH COLONIAL EMPIRE. THE U.S. MAY HAVE USED MORE FIREPOWER IN INDOCHINA (VIETNAM, LAOS, AND CAMBODIA), THAN HAD BEEN USED BY ALL SIDES IN ALL PREVIOUS WARS IN HUMAN HISTORY. U.S. WARPLANES DROPPED 7 MILLION TONS OF BOMBS ON VIETNAM. 400,000 TONS OF NAPALM WERE RAINED DOWN ON THE TINY COUNTRY. AGENT ORANGE AND OTHER TOXIC HERBICIDES WERE USED TO DESTROY MILLIONS OF ACRES OF FARMLAND AND FORESTS.. VILLAGES BURNED TO THE GROUND AND THEIR RESIDENTS MASSACRED, ALTOGETHER TWO MILLION PEOPLE DIED IN THE INDOCHINA WAR. MOST OF THEM CIVILIANS KILLED BY U.S. BOMBS AND BULLETS. NEARLY 60,000 U.S. SOLDIERS WERE KILLED AND 300,000 WOUNDED...
TO BE CONTINUED.....
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