The Soviet Union and the Horn of Africa during the Cold War

The Soviet Union and the Horn of Africa during the Cold War
Author: Radoslav A. Yordanov
Publisher: Lexington Books
Total Pages: 329
Release: 2016-03-17
Genre: History
ISBN: 1498529100

At the height of the Cold War, Soviet ideologues, policymakers, diplomats, and military officers perceived the countries of Africa, Asia, and Latin America as the future reserve of socialism, holding the key to victory over Western forces. The zero-sum nature of East-West global competition induced the United States to try to thwart Soviet ambitions. The result was predictable: the two superpowers engaged in proxy struggles against each other in faraway, little-understood lands, often ending up entangled in protracted and highly destructive local fights that did little to serve their own agendas. Using a wealth of recently declassified sources, this book tells the complex story of Soviet involvement in the Horn of Africa, a narrowly defined geographic entity torn by the rivalry of two large countries (Ethiopia and Somalia), from the beginning of the Cold War until the demise of the Soviet Union. At different points in the twentieth century, this region—arguably one of the poorest in the world—attracted broad international interest and large quantities of advanced weaponry, making it a Cold War flashpoint. The external actors ultimately failed to achieve what they wanted from the local conflicts—a lesson relevant for U.S. policymakers today as they ponder whether to use force abroad in the wake of the unhappy experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Soviet Union in the Horn of Africa

The Soviet Union in the Horn of Africa
Author: Robert G. Patman
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 429
Release: 1990-06-29
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0521360226

This is an attempt to address the paradoxes of Soviet behaviour in the Horn of Africa. Dr Patman, editor of the journal Third World in Soviet Perspective, traces the impact of history, superpower relationships and competition on Soviet perceptions and motives.

USA, India, Africa During and After the Cold War

USA, India, Africa During and After the Cold War
Author: Godfrey Okoth
Publisher: African Books Collective
Total Pages: 422
Release: 2010-12-29
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 996679249X

The Cold War period witnessed competition from political, economic, ideological, diplomatic, military and social dimensions between the United States of America (USA), and the then Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). In the superpower rivalries, India and Africa were adversely affected in many ways. The situation did not change for the better in the post-Cold War period, which has witnessed the domination of the world by the US and its allies, the Group of Eight (G-8) industrialised countries. This domination has been characterised by the process of Americanization of the worlds, otherwise termed globalisation, in virtually all spheres of life. USA, India, Africa During and After the Cold War demonstrates that both the United States and The Soviet Union used African States, India and other Third World countries for their own geopolitical considerations; that the foreign policy and foreign relations of the US were meant to subject Africa and India to the dictates of US imperialism. The book assesses the impact of the Cold War and the post-Cold War order on Africa, India and the entire world and argues that the Non Aligned Movement is still relevant to the Third World countries despite the demise of the Cold War. The book analyses issues from the African point of view as opposed to hitherto Western view points but provides a balanced appreciation of the complex forces that shape foreign policies and foreign relations globally. It is a valuable contribution to modern diplomatic history and targets university students, researchers, foreign affairs ministries, and practising diplomats.

The Soviet Union in the Horn of Africa

The Soviet Union in the Horn of Africa
Author: Robert G. Patman
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 432
Release: 1990-06-29
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780521360227

The Soviet Union in the Horn of Africa is the first major attempt to address the paradoxes of Soviet behavior in the area. Dr. Patman provides a careful historical background to the recent conflicts and shows how the Soviet Union and its East European partners dramatically switched from being close allies of Somalia to allies of Ethiopia--intervening in the Ethiopian-Somali war of 1977-8 to ensure the military defeat of their former ally. However, he does not confine himself simply to retrospective analysis. He also assesses the Soviet experience in the region in the decade since 1979, and considers in particular the impact of Gorbachev's new thinking and the new diplomacy.

US Foreign Policy in The Horn of Africa

US Foreign Policy in The Horn of Africa
Author: Donna Jackson
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2017-09-29
Genre: History
ISBN: 1317216008

Examining American foreign policy towards the Horn of Africa between 1945 and 1991, this book uses Ethiopia and Somalia as case studies to offer an evaluation of the decision-making process during the Cold War, and consider the impact that these decisions had upon subsequent developments both within the Horn of Africa and in the wider international context. The decision-making process is studied, including the role of the president, the input of his advisers and lower level officials within agencies such as the State Department and National Security Council, and the parts played by Congress, bureaucracies, public opinion, and other actors within the international environment, especially the Soviet Union, Ethiopia and Somalia. Jackson examines the extent to which influences exerted by forces other than the president affected foreign policy, and provides the first comprehensive analysis of American foreign policy towards Ethiopia and Somalia throughout the Cold War. This book offers a fresh perspective on issues such as globalism, regionalism, proxy wars, American aid programmes, anti-communism and human rights. It will be of great interest to students and academics in various fields, including American foreign policy, American Studies and Politics, the history of the Cold War, and the history of the Horn of Africa during the modern era.

The Cold War Fallout

The Cold War Fallout
Author: Abdisalam M. Issa-Salwe
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2022-08-14
Genre:
ISBN: 9781912411443

This study explores the role of international politics in the life of a region where on the one hand a nation is trying to gather its people into a state (Somalia), and on the other are neighboring states (Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibouti) constructed on Western notions of statehood and wedded to colonial-defined borders. The positions were intractable. The Horn became an arena for Cold War ideological-global competition, and the conflict one of the longest running disputes on the African continent. "Unlike any other border problem in Africa, the entire length of the existing boundaries, as imposed by the colonialists, cut across the traditional pastures of our nomadic population. The problem becomes unique when it is realised that no other nation in Africa finds itself totally divided along the whole length of its borders from its own people" - Adan Abdulle Osman, President of the Somali Republic, (1960-67) Abdisalam M. Issa -Salwe (PhD) is Somali scholar, researcher, lecturer, and author as well as celebrated veteran of Somali Studies. He is written, edited, many scholarly articles and books. Some of his published works include: 'The Collapse of the Somali State: The Impact of the Colonial Legacy (1996); 'Cold War Fallout: Boundary Politics and Conflict in The Horn of Africa (2000); 'Oral Culture and Computer Mediated Communication: Social Dynamics of Mailing Lists (2010). He is currently Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Head of the Deanship of Curriculum Development.

The US Foreign Policy in the Horn of Africa

The US Foreign Policy in the Horn of Africa
Author: Rachid Mohamed Youssouf
Publisher: Publishroom
Total Pages: 107
Release: 2023-04-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 2384546864

From the historical perspective, the Cold War can be regarded as an extension and continuation of colonialism via different means. The tools and methods that the superpowers, as well as local allies used, were in many ways similar to those desired during the last stage of European colonialism: gigantic economic and social projects, the promises of progress and modernization to the supporters, and almost death to the opponents or those who dare to step on the way of progress. The tragedy of the history of the Cold War in general and of the Cold War in the countries of the Third World, in particular, showed that two historical projects were originally anti-colonial, however, at last, they became the part of significantly older domination patter, due to intensity and severity of the confrontation, as well as the high stakes they considered were involved and practically apocalyptic fear of the situation when the opponent wins. In other words, even though both Soviet Union and the United States opposed colonialism and its reflections, they practically did the same in their own version of modernity, like their predecessors (for instance, France and Britain with their colonial projects of the 19th and 20th centuries). These methods were focused on implementing ecological, demographic, and cultural change in the societies of the Third World while utilizing military power to defeat the states that dare to resist. ABOUT THE AUTHOR MOHAMED YOUSSOUF Rachid, was born on a grey morning under the blazing sun of a hot summer in Djibouti city in 1990. Animator, investigative journalist, essayist of the new independent media of the Horn of Africa called The Voice of Djibouti (LVD), the author has a passion for the issue of foreign policy, authors and historians of the Horn of Africa and began his socio-political commitment very early thanks to these different courses and his tours in West Africa. Greatly interested in the world of literature, foreign civilization and international relations, the Djiboutian enarque is guided by his pen through which he tries to rediscover the history of the Horn of Africa; the issue of geopolitics, post-colonial recomposition and the reconquest of Islam in these lost territories. Animator of political programs, former head of programming, much sought after by international or regional media such as “bbc, voa” ...

The Oxford Handbook of the Cold War

The Oxford Handbook of the Cold War
Author: Richard H. Immerman
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Total Pages: 680
Release: 2013-01-31
Genre: History
ISBN: 0191643629

The Oxford Handbook of the Cold War offers a broad reassessment of the period war based on new conceptual frameworks developed in the field of international history. Nearing the 25th anniversary of its end, the cold war now emerges as a distinct period in twentieth-century history, yet one which should be evaluated within the broader context of global political, economic, social, and cultural developments. The editors have brought together leading scholars in cold war history to offer a new assessment of the state of the field and identify fundamental questions for future research. The individual chapters in this volume evaluate both the extent and the limits of the cold war's reach in world history. They call into question orthodox ways of ordering the chronology of the cold war and also present new insights into the global dimension of the conflict. Even though each essay offers a unique perspective, together they show the interconnectedness between cold war and national and transnational developments, including long-standing conflicts that preceded the cold war and persisted after its end, or global transformations in areas such as human rights or economic and cultural globalization. Because of its broad mandate, the volume is structured not along conventional chronological lines, but thematically, offering essays on conceptual frameworks, regional perspectives, cold war instruments and cold war challenges. The result is a rich and diverse accounting of the ways in which the cold war should be positioned within the broader context of world history.