Impact of the Cold War

The result of the end of the Cold War has left its impact and continuing effect on us today and will continue to in decades to come. The Cold War was a bipolar balance of power between two super powers: the United States and the Soviet Union (democracy vs. communism). National Security dominated foreign policies, which were the domain of the elite, making economics secondary. Although the super powers never engaged in direct conflict, each used poor underdeveloped Third World nations in their battles; such as Korea, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, and Central America.
American foreign policy has gone through many changes since the Cold War but it's aim has remained the same: to use American plitical, military, and economic power to assure "friendly" foreign regimes. Some may say that a government is deemed freindly on whether it allows U.S. corporations to operate freely within its borders. It has been the logic of American foreign policymakers that nearly all actions are just...