To What Extent Cold War was a Security Dilemma Product?

This essay delves into the Cold War, examining the security dilemma between the United States and the Soviet Union. It explores the historical context, including the aftermath of World War II, and the ideological differences that fueled the conflict. The essay analyzes the concept of the security dilemma, where actions taken by one state to increase its security can inadvertently decrease the security of others, leading to an arms race and heightened tensions. It discusses the roles of both soft and hard power, the impact of the atomic bomb, and the formation of alliances like NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Furthermore, the essay considers the influence of economic assistance, such as the Marshall Plan, and the various proxy wars that defined the Cold War era. It also touches upon alternative explanations for the conflict, such as the pursuit of non-security goals by superpowers and the revisionist views of the Cold War's dynamics. The essay concludes by emphasizing the complexities of international relations and the ongoing relevance of understanding the Cold War's security dilemma in contemporary global politics.

Running Head: International Relations
International Relations

International Relations
To what extend can the outbreak of the cold war be seen as the inevitable byproduct of a
“Security Dilemma between the Soviet Union and the western Allies”.
Cold war that happened in 1945 has brought a great security problem between the United States
and Soviet Union. The security dilemma is concerned with the weapons that are dependent on
the policies of the country. The states have an interest in the defense country but have a great
threat from the other countries. It has a great issue that is concerned with the industrial relations.
The study of this essay is focused on the security dilemma between the United States and Soviet
Union during the cold war. It takes into consideration the identification and also helps to
understand the relations which are prevailing between the cold war and the security dilemma1.
When war is taken into consideration there are many wars that have taken place and are changing
the pattern of the universe. The 3 wars are well known and are also considered as the biggest
wars that have taken place in the history. The first one is considered as the World War I, which
was taken place due to the economics, politics and is concerned with the territory reasons which
were there by the Allies. The world war was taken place in 1914-1918 by considering the victory
that was achieved by the Allies. The second war is the World War II in which the failure of the
nations has taken place and there was a tough competition between the developed countries. The
results were seen when they are defeated just because of the main reason that was concerned
with the military itself and also with the economy.2 The World War II was taken place in 1939.
The third world war is concerned with the cold war. This war is different from the other wars
that have taken place. Cold war is concerned with the actor in the war that never battles in a
direct way.3 The main reason behind this is that the cold war has many different philosophies and
the values of the United States and Soviet Union which handles the Europe after the main World
War II. The cold war has taken place in 1945.
1 Monaghan, A. (2015). A'new Cold War'?: Abusing History, Misunderstanding Russia. London:
Chatham House
2 Dinan, Desmond, ed. Origins and evolution of the European Union. Oxford University Press,
2014.
3 Walker, Edward W. "Between east and west: NATO enlargement and the geopolitics of the
Ukraine crisis." Ukraine and Russia: People, Politics, Propaganda and Perspectives 141 (2015).

International Relations
At the time of Cold war the security dilemma is always found in the scenario. This essay will be
concerned with the security dilemma between the United States and Soviet Union at the time of
Cold War. The essay will give brief information about the analyzes of the cold war which was
concerned with the international relations. It was one of the most important matters and the
boundaries of political science. The cold war is concerned with the countries like United States
and Soviet Union. It gives main focus on the war that has taken place at that time.
The war is related with the conditions that are massive and which are connected with the
violence or the arm race. The war gives a direct impact and is a great threat for the civil. It gives
and makes the civil society aware about the conditions that are prevailing in the market. The war
has given a major threat to the members, relatives and also given the negative environment
which is concerned with the living people. By considering the war it is analyzed that it can be
soft power and also the hard power. The soft power takes into consideration the tangible power
like politics and the hard war is concerned with the tangible power like military4.
Everyone knows that the war cannot be ignored and no one has an international power to assure
it and it is analyzed that the united nations are considered as a peace keeper, but it still don’t
gives the assurance. The war which was raised is due to the nature concerned with human that do
not support the needs and wants like territory, principles. War has a great connection and the
relation with the security, because the war is concerned or related with gambling5.
The security dilemma is also concerned to enhance the security that are caused by the conflict
between the states and which results to minimize the security concerned with the countries6. The
Cold war was taken into consideration by the well-known British writer George Orwell so that
the beliefs and principles of both the United States and Soviet Union can take into consideration
at the end of the World War II.
4 Mandelbaum, Michael. Mission failure: America and the world in the post-Cold War era.
Oxford University Press, 2016
5 Adler-Nissen, Rebecca. "Stigma management in international relations: Transgressive
identities, norms, and order in international society." International Organization 68, no. 1
(2014): 143-176
6 Carson, A. (2016). Facing off and saving face: covert intervention and escalation management
in the Korean War. International Organization, 70(1), 103-131

International Relations
The two states that are: United States and Soviet Union were a great alliance that has a
connection with France and also it was involved in the World War I and II. If we consider the
World War I then it is seen that Germany, Austria and turkey has conducted their work together.
When the war started, the united states are impartial with everyone. At the time when Germany
comes into the scenario in 1916 then the eagerness was increased. Then it is seen that the United
States supported Britain, in which the Soviet Union and France are opposite to the alliance who
are concerned with Germany. It is analyzed that in the World War II, the British and the
Russians come up together. The Soviet Union and United States in the cold war was considered
as an inevitable7. The old European power has considered as no more and just two states are
standing with one another with a good power. The great power was considered in the Britain,
France and china but that are more concerned with the habits and the benefits. It is analyzed in
the international politics that if the two politics take a stand then they are considered as rivals.
This is the reason that the Soviet Union and United States is considered as biggest rivals of each
other. Cold war has taken place due to the mixture of history and strategies. The united states
consider the world as the capitalist and the Soviet Union. It considers that the world should lead
to communism. It is seen that the competition between them are broad and the rest of the world
have a defense against the communism. It has formed or constructed various countries,
especially the country in the Western Europe, the Middle East and the south East Asia. The two
states never have a conflict directly but the main conflict that rose between them is indirectly and
has led to the various local wars like the Korean War, soviet war and the Vietnam War8.
Security dilemma is considered as one of the biggest war that has taken place in the world and
this has resulted in the curiousness about the security dilemma that has taken place. The
competition in the United States and the Soviet Union was so much fierce, no state wants to
defeat the country. This is the only reason that they make the security strong and it has also
looked to compare with each other. The cold war has defined a brief relationship between the
United States and the Soviet Union. The states were considered as a great alliance that is
involved in the World War I and II.There are many countries which have worked together. The
7 Westad, O.A., 2013. Reviewing the Cold War: Approaches, Interpretations, Theory. Routledge.
8 Belmonte, Laura A. Selling the American Way: US Propaganda and the Cold War. University
of Pennsylvania Press, 2013

International Relations
European balance of the power has destroyed and the two states were there with the great
power9. The countries like France and china was considered and played a great role to minimize
the conflicts between the countries. It is seen that the politics that are concerned with the
countries are the rivals with each other. The Soviet Union held a test of the first atomic bomb
and they have achieved success in the market. So, there are various researches that have taken
place in the hydrogen bomb. In the military fields it is seen that they can easily make the
hydrogen bomb10.
To match the power of the United States and its allies, it is seen that the Soviet Union has entered
into the collaboration with various countries by the following names like WarSAW PACT and
Comecon. It is also seen that it demonstrates the effect which establishes the political power. The
United States gives the economic help to other countries with the main aim to participate and
work together so that the communist can be influenced. This is the assistance which is given to
economy of the United States. The Marshall Plan aid assist and has appeared in the Paris
conference of 1947. The western European countries have achieved the award in 1951. The
economic aid which is given to the three countries is Turkey, Greece and the Japan. The mutual
security act is given to the Asian countries with the main motive to help the CIA fight against the
communism and the Soviet Union. It is seen that the counterbalance of the United States and the
Soviet Union helped to provide the communist to the states which are in the Eastern Europe with
the name of Molotov plan11.
It is seen that the situation can be established in various countries. It is very essential to know
about the background of the situation which is very complicated and broader. It is seen that the
cold war has various principles which are between the United States and the Soviet Union to
handle the Europe at the end of the World War II. There are various desires that are concerned
with both the countries. It helps all the countries to feel confident with various situations12. The
security dilemma at the time of cold war gives a main emphasis to understand the United States
9 Liang, Christina Schori, ed. Europe for the Europeans: The foreign and security policy of the
populist radical right. Routledge, 2016
10 Nye Jr, Joseph S. Bound to lead: The changing nature of American power. Basic Books, 2016.
11 Matlock Jr, Jack F. "The US has treated Russia like a loser since the end of the Cold
War." Washington Post 14 (2014)
12 Legvold, Robert. "Managing the New Cold War: What Moscow and Washington Can Learn
From the Last One." Foreign Affairs93, no. 4 (2014): 74

International Relations
and the Soviet Union which faces many experiences in the various fields. The fields are
concerned with the military field which is considered as a very hard power of the country13. The
second field gives emphasis on the political field which is a type of a soft power for a country.
The main focus is given on various systems. To maintain the conflicts there are various steps and
the corrective step should be taken into consideration so that the conflicts can be minimized in
effective manner. There are various security dilemma in the field of politics in which the United
States focuses to hold the military and political understanding with various countries by
following names like Nato, Cento, Seato14. It is very necessary to maintain the conflicts which
are arising. It is seen that the most difficult situation is raised when the security is equated with
the status quo. It is very difficult to build the concept which is based on the security dilemma. It
is seen that the security cannot be universally focused on the expansion process. It is analyzed
that the state can feel insecure but the insecurity is not for the potential adversaries who reassure
the actions. As related with the security dilemma there are offensive and defensive motives that
are at the work. The best alternative explanation for the cold war is to take into consideration the
super powers that expand to attain the non-security goals. The second alternative which is
considered is revisionist view in which the recapture is done and the description and transposes
the roles of the two super powers. The need of the domestic economic system is considered as a
crucial area15.
There are various cases related with the Soviet Union which are taking the opportunities that are
concerned with the third world. If the super powers are controlled then the disturbances can be
set in an easy manner.
13 Trenin, Dmitri. "Russia’s break out from the post-Cold War system." Carnegie Moscow
Centre (2014)
14 Monaghan, Andrew. A'new Cold War'?: Abusing History, Misunderstanding Russia. London:
Chatham House, 2015
15 Legvold, Robert. "Managing the New Cold War: What Moscow and Washington Can Learn
From the Last One." Foreign Affairs93, no. 4 (2014): 74

International Relations
References
Adler-Nissen, Rebecca. "Stigma management in international relations: Transgressive identities,
norms, and order in international society." International Organization 68, no. 1 (2014): 143-176.
Belmonte, Laura A. Selling the American Way: US Propaganda and the Cold War. University of
Pennsylvania Press, 2013.
Carson, A. (2016). Facing off and saving face: covert intervention and escalation management in
the Korean War. International Organization, 70(1), 103-131.
Dinan, Desmond, ed. Origins and evolution of the European Union. Oxford University Press,
2014.
Legvold, Robert. "Managing the New Cold War: What Moscow and Washington Can Learn
From the Last One." Foreign Affairs93, no. 4 (2014): 74.
Liang, Christina Schori, ed. Europe for the Europeans: The foreign and security policy of the
populist radical right. Routledge, 2016.
Mandelbaum, Michael. Mission failure: America and the world in the post-Cold War era.
Oxford University Press, 2016.
Matlock Jr, Jack F. "The US has treated Russia like a loser since the end of the Cold
War." Washington Post 14 (2014).
Monaghan, A. (2015). A'new Cold War'?: Abusing History, Misunderstanding Russia. London:
Chatham House.
Monaghan, Andrew. A'new Cold War'?: Abusing History, Misunderstanding Russia. London:
Chatham House, 2015.
Nye Jr, Joseph S. Bound to lead: The changing nature of American power. Basic Books, 2016.
Trenin, Dmitri. "Russia’s break out from the post-Cold War system." Carnegie Moscow
Centre (2014).
Walker, Edward W. "Between east and west: NATO enlargement and the geopolitics of the
Ukraine crisis." Ukraine and Russia: People, Politics, Propaganda and Perspectives 141 (2015).
Westad, O.A., 2013. Reviewing the Cold War: Approaches, Interpretations, Theory. Routledge.

International Relations