Echoes of Ideological Struggle: Cold War Proxy Wars and Their Enduring Legacy

During the 20th century, after the Second World War, the world went through a power shift. As previous superpowers, such as Great Britain, France, and Germany, all fell victim to the devastating Second World War that drained their resources and manpower, new superpowers began to rise to replace them. The United States benefited from the world wars as they were far away from the main battlegrounds, which meant that they did not suffer from major infrastructural loss; the profit made from selling ammunition and the money that they lent to the European States allowed them to be well-off economically compared to the rest of Europe. The USSR rose to the world stage as they recovered from the 1917 Communist Revolution when the communist faction seized power and reinforced a set of revitalization policies such as the 5-year plan. The conflict of interests between the two states’ ideologies ultimately caused the world to pay the price through a series of proxy wars and technology races, and its longstanding legacy remains prevalent to this day.

For instance, the Korean peninsula to this day is split into the North and South; the North is notoriously known as one of the worst communist dictatorships of human history, and the South is now a major capitalist power in the Southeast Asian countries. After World War Two, Japan ended its several-year-long annexation of the peninsula, and the two superpowers at the time, the Soviet Union and the United States sought the opportunity to spread their influence for their ideologies.
The resulting Korean War serves as a prime example of a Soviet-American proxy war that occurred in the early 1950s. The war began when North Korea invaded South Korea, resulting in a swift military response from the United Nations, with the United States taking a leading role in support of South Korea. On the other hand, the Soviet Union and China backed North Korea, though China's involvement escalated later in the conflict. Due to the uncertain nature of war, a fog of war often emerges, and in the case of the Korean War, this fog obscures the truth of numerous incidents, blurring the lines between reality and propaganda. For instance, United States naval aircraft encountered Soviet MiG-15 fighter jets, allegedly piloted by Chinese pilots. However, the truth of the matter was often obscured by propaganda on both sides, and it was only later revealed that the fighter jets were operated by Soviet pilots dressed in Chinese aviation uniforms. Although the Soviet Union denied any direct involvement in the conflict, instances such as this hint towards the fact that Soviet and American forces did come into direct contact with each other. The Korean War lasted from 1950 to 1953 and resulted in a significant loss of life, some two to four million casualties, including soldiers and civilians. The war ended in an armistice agreement rather than a formal peace treaty, leaving the Korean Peninsula divided along the 38th parallel, a division that persists to this day.

The Vietnam War was another prime example of a Cold War proxy war that historians and authors often examine. It began when the communist North Vietnamese torpedo boats attacked the USS Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin incident on August 2, 1964. This incident led to the passing of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution by the United States Congress, which authorized President Lyndon Johnson to escalate American involvement in the conflict between North and South Vietnam. The war escalated with the deployment of American troops to support the South Vietnamese government against the forces of North Vietnam and the Viet Cong, a guerrilla force allied with the North. With military aid from the Soviet Union, North Vietnam acquired Soviet fighter jets and missile defense systems, posing a considerable threat to the US Navy and Air Force, causing the United States to modify or develop new combat doctrines in response. The United States also deployed various tanks and armored personnel carriers to spearhead the ground campaign, but the unpredictable nature of guerilla warfare made the Viet Cong extremely hard to fight against. They would strike seemingly out of nowhere, set up booby traps throughout the forests, and would end up haunting American soldiers even after the war ended.

The war was not popular at home, and widespread protests and anti-war sentiment in America reflected this reality. American citizens questioned the motivations behind U.S. involvement and criticized the government's overall poor handling of the conflict. The many protests and anti-war movements played a significant role in shaping public opinion and influencing government policy, eventually contributing to the eventual withdrawal of U.S. forces from Vietnam in 1973, and a total number of 58,220 American personnel killed.

Approaching modern times, these highly devastating wars left scars on human history: millions of lives were lost, thousands of families were torn apart, yet the discrimination and segregation still persist to this day. The Korean War ended in an armistice, meaning that the war never truly ended; however, perhaps more importantly, it further deepened the division between the United States and Soviet Union. Across the 38th Parallel, the South Koreans drop leaflets using balloons trying to advertise their capitalistic life and ideals to the North. Furthermore, the Korean War allowed US intervention within the peninsula, setting up military bases which strengthens the diplomatic ties between the two countries. In terms of culture, the Korean War has been an important part of South Korean propaganda within K-drama, literature, movies, and more. These all contribute to the further division and segregation between the two groups of people.

The Vietnam War arguably had a larger impact in American domestic policies. In the not-so-distant future, the United States will shift away from direct military involvement in conflicts and deal with foreign affairs differently. The chemical exfoliants that were left over like Agent Orange had lasting environmental and health effects on the Vietnamese people and also war veterans.

The triggers of war are often influenced not only by the actions of superpowers but also by unresolved domestic issues that create opportunities for intervention. While diversity of perspectives and beliefs is important for societal and economic growth, it should not come at the expense of countless innocent lives. Let us strive for a world of peace and prosperity, not destruction and bloodshed.