There are many similarities between the relationships between the US and the USSR in the middle of the 20th century and the relationships between the US and Russia in the current period. In both cases, an unarmed conflict takes place between countries that do not engage in a war in a traditional understanding. Nevertheless, the rhetoric, economic and political actions taken by governments strongly contradict each other. Cold War and the current crisis in US and Russian politics have many similarities and differences.
Cold War, the post-World War II competition between the US and the USSR and their allies, was an open but restrained conflict. There was little use of actual weapons throughout the Cold War; instead, it was fought on fronts of politics, economics, and propaganda. The Soviet Union attempted to blockade the parts of West Berlin controlled by the West but failed, and the United States and its European allies established the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a joint military command to oppose the Soviet presence in Europe. During this period, the Soviet Union detonated its first atomic warhead, ending the American monopoly on the atomic bomb. Additionally, the Chinese communists took control of mainland China, and the Soviet-supported communists from North Korea invaded US-supported South Korea (McMahon, 50). All these factors led to rising tension in the relationships between the two countries.
Whereas some argue that the conflict was caused by political views adopted by countries, contradicting capitalism and communism, the conflict is similar to many in history in terms of fighting for influence in the world. Nevertheless, the current crisis, which reached its peak during war in Ukraine, is hard to be identified in these terms for several reasons. Whereas during the Cold War, the influential interests of both countries were apparent, nowadays, it is hard to identify due to the lack of time passed and information available. Moreover, communism is not present in the current agenda of Russia, and therefore the conflict is not based on it. Nevertheless, the tension is similar, and the indirect expression resembles the past century.
Nowadays, the contradiction between US and Russia peaks in the military conflict in Ukraine. Many aspects of the situation are similar to the Cold War, as a political and diplomatic crisis between countries, economic sanctions, and social concerns are present in both cases. The political and diplomatic issues manifest in aggressive and judging rhetoric from both countries and the impossibility of negotiations. One aspect is very similar to what happened during Cold War. In Korea, when the North Korean military forces entered South Korea, they used military units provided by the Soviet Union. American soldiers were engaged in the conflict as allies of South Korea (History.com Editors). Both US and USSR were involved in the conflict, yet there were no direct battles between American and Soviet forces. In Korea, American soldiers battled against Northern Korean communists armed by units of the Soviet union. In Ukraine, the US provides military units which are used by Ukrainian forces, and the Russian military forces are engaged directly in battles. This similarity is one of the most apparent ones among others.
Another common aspect of these two events is the implementation of sanctions. The United States launched a more than a fifty-year-long campaign of sanctions imposed against the Soviet Union in 1948. The Department of Commerce established export limitations to the Soviet Union as well as its European allies in March of that year. The 1949 Export Control Act was a formalization of these limitations by Congress. When the Korean War broke out in 1950, the Cold War grew more strict, and Congress decided to make this legislation permanent rather than just a temporary solution to prevent weapons and critical materials from falling into the hands of prospective adversaries (“Embargoes and Sanctions – Cold war sanctions”). With the Battle Act, the United States made an effort to toughen these sanctions in 1951. The US would reject aid to any country that would not impose an embargo on strategic products, such as oil, destined for the Soviet Union and countries under its sway, according to this act. The United States gave in to pressure from its allies and approved several exclusions from this law, which had little impact.
In the current relations between US and Russia, sanctions are the main tool of the US to affect Russia. Much due to the initiative of the US, Russia is now the most sanctioned country in the world (Wadhams). This change took place in 2022 during the invasion of the Russian military on Ukraine, yet many sanctions were imposed before the conflict. There were several cases that caused them, such as the 2016 sanctions because of the attempt of the Russian government to influence the American presidential election, the Crimea invasion in 2014, and other political contradictions between nations (Smith 2). Sanctions are an important part of the hybrid war which is currently present between the US and Russia, especially considering the indirect military support of Ukraine by the US. In conclusion, strict sanctions were imposed against USSR, similarly to how they are imposed against Russia currently.
In conclusion, the significant difference in conflicts is related to the motives of countries. In Cold War, interests were economic and political – this was a confrontation between communists and capitalists, as well as two countries trying to expand their area of influence. In the current crisis, the US, as well as the EU, are trying to prevent Russia from occupying Ukraine. Nevertheless, similarities prevail in this comparison – Russia and US are engaged in a hybrid war resembling to the one that took place in Korea, yet the sides involved directly and indirectly are the opposite. Sanctions in the conflict are still a primary tool used by the US government to affect Russia, which was present during Cold War as well.
Works Cited
“Embargoes and Sanctions – Cold war sanctions”. American Foreign Relations.
History.com Editors. “Korean War”. History.com, 2022.
McMahon, Robert. The Cold War: A very short introduction. Oxford University Press, 2021.
Smith, Nicholas. A new Cold War?: Assessing the current US-Russia relationship. Springer, 2019.
Wadhams, Nick. “Russia Is Now the World’s Most-Sanctioned Nation”. Bloomberg, 2022.