LEARN MORE...

Domino Theory History of American Paper

Content type

User Generated

Subject

History

Type

Essay

Uploaded By

oxylaphgvr

Pages

Showing Page:

1/4

Brandi White

America as Superpower—Confrontation in a Nuclear Age (1947-Present)

Strayer University

HIS 105

Dr. Stansbury

3/2/2020

Showing Page:

2/4

Introduction

The significant role that America has played as a superpower since World War II has had an

immensely positive and negative impact on global politics. An excellent example of their

political reach goes as far back as the conception of the Domino theory and its influence on the

onset of the Vietnam War. The Domino theory inferred that if one country were taken over by

communism, other neighboring countries would soon follow (Caplan, 1). The Vietnam War

began as a battle against communism by the French Colonialists, America came in to assist out

of fear that the fall of Vietnam to communism would accelerate its spread in East Asia

(McNamara, 2). A second example is an influence America had in helping international players

such as the United Nations to deal with the Rogue States. Therefore, the case made by America

to warrant invading of Iraq as a rogue state at the time shows evidence of how the superpower's

motivation as well as influence in strategy and global politics had evolved.

HISTORY AND ISSUES

The Domino Theory was a widely accepted political ideology during the cold war. The theory

stated that if one territory fell to communism, all its other neighbors would also fall just as an

aligned set of dominos does. The point of view was widely accepted in America because of the

anti-communist sentiments present in the country. The feelings went as far as influencing the

type of policies that were supported by the public as well as the political class. The manifestation

of the tremendous anti-communist sentiments in America was considered to have been the

primary reason why the country got involved in the Vietnam War. America started its

involvement with simple tactics on a consultative status. However, the situation escalated to the

extent that by the time the war was concluding, a significant number of American troops had

been actively engaged in the war (McNamara, 2). Due to public pressure, America withdrew

from Vietnam, which led to the fall of the region to communism. Communism later spread to the

other two countries (Laos and Cambodia), but not to as many countries as predicted by the

Domino Theory.

Later on in the history of American involvement in global politics, came the fight against rogue

nations. These are nations that actively partake in actions that go against international law as well

as threatening global peace. Under the rule of Saddam Hussein, Iraq became one of the countries

considered to be a rogue nation (Musili, 3). American intelligence had information on Iraq's lack

of cooperation when it comes to complying with rules for conquest, together with cases of its

involvement in terrorist activities. Furthermore, confrontations with rogue states, especially ones

with capabilities related to nuclear weapons and biological weapons, can be a hard situation even

for international community players, including the United Nations. This is because in cases such

as that of Iraq, inaction from the part of the international community would allow their spread as

their means included means could annihilate the entire world (Powell, 4). With strong evidence

on Iraq's defiant activities, America made a compelling case that allowed them to gain full

backing of international players in the invasion into Iraq, including a mission to eliminate the

leader Saddam Hussein.

Showing Page:

3/4

End of Preview - Want to read all 4 pages?

Access Now

Unformatted Attachment Preview

Brandi White America as Superpower—Confrontation in a Nuclear Age (1947-Present) Strayer University HIS 105 Dr. Stansbury 3/2/2020 Introduction The significant role that America has played as a superpower since World War II has had an immensely positive and negative impact on global politics. An excellent example of their political reach goes as far back as the conception of the Domino theory and its influence on the onset of the Vietnam War. The Domino theory inferred that if one country were taken over by communism, other neighboring countries would soon follow (Caplan, 1). The Vietnam War began as a battle against communism by the French Colonialists, America came in to assist out of fear that the fall of Vietnam to communism would accelerate its spread in East Asia (McNamara, 2). A second example is an influence America had in helping international players such as the United Nations to deal with the Rogue States. Therefore, the case made by America to warrant invading of Iraq as a rogue state at the time shows evidence of how the superpower's motivation as well as influence in strategy and global politics had evolved. HISTORY AND ISSUES The Domino Theory was a widely accept ...
Purchase document to see full attachment

Tags: Domino Theory political ideology history of American global politics communism