His early thesis is that the U.S. was engaged in interventions long before the Cold War "broke out" - and those interventions (including those borne of Manifest Destiny) were based not so much on greed or empire building but on the ideology that all nations should be allowed to enjoy individual liberty, economics based on an open and free market, and social progress. And after WWII, the interventions by both superpowers "were not [necessarily based on] exploitation or subjection, but control and improvement" (Westad, p. 5).
There are flaws in the book, albeit Westad has written a book that is far more expansive and inclusive than the other two, so he should be given respect - more than just the benefit of the doubt. In fact, Westad's book contains ten maps, ten good photographs and five poster reproductions of propaganda materials used during the Cold War. One of the few gaffs in the book is that Greece is shown on a map on page 116 as being part of the Third World, but given the vast amount of well-researched information this book offers, Westad can be forgiven for being less than absolutely perfect.
Works Cited
Gaddis, John Lewis. Strategies of Containment: A Critical Appraisal of Postwar
American National Security Policy. New York: Oxford University Press, 1982.
Suri, Jeremi. Power and Protest: Global Revolution and the Rise of Detente. Cambridge:
Harvard University Press, 2003.
Westad, Odd Ame. The Global Cold War: Third World Interventions and the Making of Our Times. Cambridge: Cambridge University…
Sample Source(s) Used
Works Cited
Gaddis, John Lewis. Strategies of Containment: A Critical Appraisal of Postwar
American National Security Policy. New York: Oxford University Press, 1982.
Suri, Jeremi. Power and Protest: Global Revolution and the Rise of Detente. Cambridge:
Harvard University Press, 2003.
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