Abstract
This paper discusses that the Cuban Missile Crisis confrontation involved an American blockade around Cuba to prevent the Soviets from delivering any more missiles or other weapons to Cuba. The author points out that the event recently was compared to September 11, 2001, as a time when Americans realized that the oceans no longer protected us from enemy attack. The paper stresses that the speeches Kennedy made on American television demonstrated his concern about public opinion and his desire to have the American people watch carefully as he challenged the Soviets.

From the Paper
"Kruschev believed that if he could get the missiles into Cuba, he would close the gap between the Soviet Union and the United States and gain a strategic advantage. Kennedy certainly saw this possibility as well. Kennedy knew that American strategic interests lay in keeping the Soviets from gaining this advantage and in keeping the Soviets out of the Western Hemisphere, asserting the Monroe Doctrine that told all other powers to keep out of this part of the world. Kennedy also knew the Soviet capacity in terms of missiles and other weaponry, though he could not be sure that the Soviets would not use those weapons even if they could not follow up an attack with as much power as could the United States. Morgenthau also cites the mass of intelligence data gathered from the Russian spy Penkovsky, a trove called Ironbark, which told the United States what weapons the Soviets had and much more about their operations."

Tags:intelligence, television, opinion, protection, 9/11

Abstract
This paper explains that the historiography of the origins of the Cold War passes through three chronologically defined and ideologically distinct phases, which can be called "traditionalist," "revisionist," and "post-revisionist." Each reflects the cultural and political attitudes prevailing in the wider Cold War context of the particular era in which it flourished. The author points out that some historians believe that power politics and strategic considerations were more important than ideology in determining Soviet policy and behavior; therefore, the Cold War resulted from a contest of great powers, not a conflict of ideologies, and both the United States and the Soviet Union bear responsibility for the origins of the Cold War. The paper relates that a new element, which reflects important trends in modern Cold War scholarship, concerns the personality of Stalin, the nature of authoritarian government, and the character and content of Communist ideology.

From the Paper
"From the end of the Second World War until the mid-1960s, the "traditionalists" held the field with a standpoint that can be summarized as essentially pro-American/pro-Western and anti-Soviet. Essentially, such scholars held the Soviet Union responsible for the onset of the Cold War by undermining the Second World War alliance between East and West, increasing the level of military confrontation between Russia and America, and acting aggressively to promote the imposition and spread of Communism in Europe and elsewhere. It was thus argued that the United States was correct in its policy of containment towards the USSR and the Eastern Bloc, and that the American position was essentially a defensive one forced upon it by the hostility and aggression of the Communist East."

Tags:traditionalist, revisionist, post-revisionist, contest, stalin

Abstract
This paper explains the realist theory, which contends that state security and power are important above all other attributes, and its antithesis, the liberalism or idealism theory, which contends that states can work together because people are basically good. When comparing these theories, the author sides with realism as the most accurate explanation of international relations, but acknowledges that one theory is rarely ever correct in its absolute form. To illustrate these theories, the paper examines the foreign policies of the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War and the ways that these policies shaped the future international relations of the U.S.A.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
The Realist Theory
Alternate Theory: Liberalism/Idealism
Contrast and Comparison of Realism and Liberalism
An Accurate Explanation of International Relations
Foreign Policy of the United States and Soviet Union during the Cold War
Conclusion

From the Paper
"Proponents of Liberalism often subscribe to liberal internationalism, which argues that liberal states should intervene in other sovereign states in order to pursue liberal objectives. Such intervention includes military intervention and humanitarian aid. Liberal Internationalism supports such multilateral organization like the United Nations that ensure international peace keeping and while not as effective as a state's military the UN seems to serve as a necessary medium for Liberalism's lack of power."

Tags:security humanitarian, long-term peace, culture validity

From the Paper
"INTRODUCTION

Relations between Japan and the Soviet Union have been much affected by the strategic position of Japan. It is relatively near the Atlantic coast of the old Soviet Union and current Russia. Japanese foreign policy has been conducted in terms of the geography of the country, with the four main islands of Japan standing off the coast of East Asia, near the peninsula of Korea, and surrounded by other islands, including the currently disputed Sakhalin and Kurile Islands to the north. Relations have shifted over the years, and Japan has drawn closer to the rest of the world as technology has improved:
The power of Russia, China, and the United States and the policies of these countries toward Japan have changed dramatically during the past fifty years. But ..."

From the Paper
"The doctrine of containment of the Soviet Union, first set forth in detail in a celebrated article by George Kennan in the late 1940s, was the essential strategy of the United States during the Cold War era. In its most essential terms, containment as a doctrine argued that an ultimate confrontation with the Soviet Union was neither inevitable nor necessary; that if the United States and its allies could hold their ground and buy time, that would in the end be sufficient.

Events, indeed, have borne out Kennan's argument. Well into the 1980s, the Cold War still appeared as though it might persist indefinitely. But from 1985 on, the Soviet system collapsed from its own internal tensions, nearly bloodlessly and indeed all but effortlessly. A final confrontation did indeed prove unnecessary; containment succeed in its objectives, albeit after.."

Abstract
This paper provides an analysis of John Lewis Gaddis' book "The Cold War: A New History" that provides a defense of U.S. policy and policymakers during the five-decade long conflict between the U.S. and the former Soviet Union.

From the Paper
"John Lewis Gaddis, history professor at Yale University is often viewed as the dean of Cold War historians. As an author of numerous books on the Cold War, Gaddis presents in "The Cold War: A New History", a short but comprehensive interpretation of the long-running, non-military war between the U.S. and former Soviet Union, that provides a defense of U.S. policy and policymakers. A traditionalist for the most part, Gaddis maintains that the world is a better place for the Cold War..."

Tags:containment, Kennan, nuclear weapons, Bay of Pigs, Archer incident, Reagan, Khrushchev, Gorbachev, Third World, Vietnam, communism, democracy

Abstract
This paper explores NATO's future in a post Cold War world. It looks at how two camps have emerged carrying their own respective vision for the future of NATO: one side argues for the dissolution of NATO while the other argues for the expansion of NATO. The respective theoretical and practical arguments of each side are analyzed with emphasis on refuting the claims of NATO's critics. The paper also argues that NATO does face some serious but addressable challenges with a particular focus on promoting cohesion among members. A discussion of NATO's failures in Yugoslavia and the reforms that must be made in order to avert future mistakes is also included. The paper ultimately argues that NATO is an essential institution for promoting international security and sustaining the democratization of Eastern Europe and beyond.

From the Paper
"Despite the uncertainties regarding NATO's post-cold war future, it continues to be an active and expanding institution. NATO today has expanded to 28 member states which include former enemies in the Warsaw pact. NATO members represent forty five percent of world GDP and the majority of defense spending . Expansion began in 1990 with the initiation of an "open doors policy", and during the chaos and uncertainty created by the fall of communism . The expansion of NATO's members also expanded NATO's potential sphere of operation. This is because NATO was obliged to protect its members under article 5 of the NATO convention which, as the heart of NATO, stipulated that "an attack against one was an attack against all" . This article helps to define NATO as a defensive alliance providing collective security to all members. NATO has also become more active in the post cold-war period. For example article 5 was invoked for the first time after the 9/11 attacks, and NATO also saw military action with its intervention in Yugoslavia. "

Tags:Russia, Eastern, Europe, democracy, communism

Abstract
This essay analyzes the effectiveness of the Stasi, the former secret police agency in East Germany, in defending the former German Democratic Republic's government. The author attempts to prove that the Stasi carried out their task adequately and efficiently, showing how aspects beyond the Stasi's control caused the fall of communism in East Germany. A brief history of the Stasi is presented, highlighting some of their operations and recruiting methods. The question of what makes a successful secret police agency is also discussed. The paper includes information about the Stasi's leadership under Erich Mielke. In summary, the author reiterates that the Stasi, was one of the most capable secret police agencies in the world. The paper uses MLA style footnotes but does not include a works cited page.

From the Paper
"The word Stasi comes from an abbreviation of the German word Staatssicherhei, literally State Security . Founded on 9 February 1950 under William Zaisser, the Stasi was modeled after both the Russian Checka and the Soviet MGB. Until the collapse of the GDR in 1991, the Stasi remained an extremely loyal and effective partner to the Soviets. Although the Stasi were officially granted independence in 1950, it was really only a superficial independence, as the now KGB employed liaison officers within the Stasi until 1990 3. This relationship is more logical when you think of the GDR in the context of its relationship with the Soviet Union. As the USSR acted as a big brother to the GDR, it makes sense for their respective security agencies to take similar roles."

Tags:Communism, German Democratic Republic, Erich Mielke, Secret Police, Gestapo, Checka

Abstract
This paper discusses that the Cold War dominated international politics while it lasted as the two major world powers, United States and the Soviet Union, were locked in intense political and ideological rivalry. The author points out that although the Cold War started after the Second World War, it had its roots in the events that occurred towards the end of World War I. The author believes that the policies of Perestroika and Glasnost by the Mikhail accelerated the collapse of Communism and ended the Cold War.

From the Paper
"One of the most serious Cold War events was the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. It occurred in a dangerous standoff between the Soviets and the US when the latter discovered the secret deployment of Soviet nuclear missiles in Communist Cuba. Only sensible decision making by the US President (Kennedy) and the Soviet leader (Khrushchev) who ignored the advice of "hawks" prevented a nuclear holocaust. Events that led to the ultimate collapse of the Soviet Union were triggered by the policies of the Reagan administration which stepped up military spending that the ailing economy of the Soviet Union was unable to match. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 to prop up a communist regime resulted in a costly war for the Russians and proved to be the last straw."

Tags:perestroika, glasnost, cuba, wwi, reagan

Abstract
This paper examines how the Soviet intervention of Czechoslovakia was a violation of rules shaping international relations. It looks at how the Russians had to invade, due to their geopolitical position within Europe and on account of a "counterrevolutionary" situation in Czechoslovakia. It argues that socialist countries cannot be indifferent to the erosion of one of the links in the world system of socialism and how alterations in one state immediately influences all. It also discusses how, in order to keep the balance of forces against NATO, the Soviets sustained that three USSR's nuclear weapons sites in Czechoslovakia were crucial. However, Czechoslovakia refused Soviet troops on its soil and the political and social unrest of Prague Spring disorganized the rigorous security system that was required.

From the Paper
"Dubcek's liberalization of Czechoslovakia's socialist system alarmed Brezhnev and other Soviet leaders into reasoning that "revolutionary" elements in other Soviet-bloc nations would ensue the Prague Spring's pattern and shift away from their own form of socialism. The Soviets were also concerned that elements in their own country would emanate and oppose the Communist Party should they let the Czechoslovakian undertaking proceed. The modest liberalization was not limited to Prague. Soviet cinema and literature began to inspire "critical analysis of the system,'' Underground publications cropped up from Moscow to Berlin (Kundera). The KGB perceived the Prague Spring to be a threat to the external and internal security of the Soviet Union. Deliberations in Czechoslovakia about the past violations of the StB intensified apprehension that comparable debates would inevitably take place in Moscow about the Soviet security organs (Skoug 48)."

Tags:communism, dubcek, eastern, europe, invasion, reforms, revolution, socialism