What part of the Cold War do you think was unavoidable? The Cold War was actually a series of discrete wars, fought (or not fought) in different times and places, with different tactics and armies.
I asked: <Name me a war that you don't think was optional. Be specific, telling why you think it couldn't have been avoided.>
1. The most important battles of the Cold War, were the battles that were avoided. Nuclear weapons were not used. There was no massive conventional battle in the heart of Europe. This happened, because both sides (with regard to war in Europe, and use of nuclear weapons), adopted the correct strategies: deterrence and containment. When both sides in a conflict adopt those methods, the result is exactly what pacifists want: permanent peace.
2. The Vietnam War was avoidable. We should have recognized Ho's government, as the government of all Vietnam, in 1945. We could have offered aid, trade, and support against Chinese domination, and that would have given us leverage to ameliorate the worst abuses of the Communists. Probably, Vietnam would have evolved away from Marxism, just as China has. At the very least, it would have avoided 60,000 American and 1 million Vietnamese deaths. |
