Cold War on the Periphery
When hearing the words "Cold War," what normally comes to mind are the events between the U.S.S.R. And the United States following World War II including the arms race. Competition for the Third World was included in this period, but receives little exposure in comparison. In the book Cold War and the Periphery, Robert McMahon explores in detail how the United States' alliance with Pakistan increased the tension between India and Pakistan and encouraged the Soviet Union to establish closer ties with India.
In the 1940s, almost all of the Central Intelligence Agency's strategic studies showed that the Indian territory including Pakistan was of considerable importance to the U.S. because it consisted of one-fifth of the world's population, had a land mass as large as Europe, and was located in a significant geographical area. The CIA also concluded that the resources were numerous: "It ranks first or second in world production of such critical materials of war as cotton, mica, manganese, monazite (a source of thorium), and beryl, and is a major source of raw materials, investment income, and carrying charges for the UK, thus strengthening the UK's and Western Europe's efforts toward the economic recovery essential to U.S. security" (13).
In 1947 when India and Pakistan were formed from former British colonies in South Asia, Pakistan took the majority Muslim part of British territory, and India the mostly Hindu part. Jammu-Kashmir, with a majority Muslim population but a Hindu ruler, decided to join India. Many Muslims, as well as Pakistan, considered this illegal. Almost immediately, a war broke out between India and Pakistan. In 1949, the countries signed the Karachi Agreement establishing a ceasefire line. The ceasefire was supervised by U.N. observers, but still left many questions in the air.
Jawaharlal Nehru, prime minister of India who followed the Socialistic Pattern of Society, visited the United States in 1949. President Truman and his administration had looked at both India and Pakistan as possible partners. Not surprisingly, they realized that the former country offered much more clout than the afterthought of Pakistan. Special Advisor Philip C. Jessup judged India "the most solid associate in the Asian area." He called the Indian prime minister "outstandingly the most vital and influential person for the accomplishment of U.S. objectives in Asia" (35).
However, India was making this potential partnership difficult. Nehru made it clear that India needed help, but not at a political cost. In 1948, he had also definitively explained his disdain for the Muslims when he said to then Secretary of State George C. Marshall that India's position toward Kashmir was morally, legally, and practically right. He denounced the so-called "gangsters from Pakistan" who had aided the tribal invasion of Kashmir and compared "the backward and theocratic nature of Pakistan" with the secular, democratic orientation of India. "India wished to develop a country wherein all elements of the population could share," he said, "whereas in Pakistan the underlying idea was the advancement of the most bigoted group of Moslems" (29).
Meanwhile, in other parts of the world, the United States saw actions that added to their concerns of a Red Scare. The Soviet Union had its first nuclear test and the Communist Party took power of the Chinese government.
Pakistan Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan sought to counter Nehru's trip to the United States by accepting an invitation from Josef Stalin to visit the Soviet Union. U.S. Assistant Secretary McGhee was very concerned of a Pakistan/USSR agreement and suggested that Pakistan visit the U.S., as well. Unlike India, Pakistan was very appreciative of the U.S. plans for South Asia. Because of India's refusal of alignment with the West and Pakistan's geographical location, America began to seriously consider Pakistan as the second-best choice. However, it did not want to cut ties with India or give arms to Pakistan.
The beginning of the Korean War in 1950 significantly impacted the U.S. way of thinking about the Asian area, since here was another incidence of Soviet Union support and aggression. The U.S. quickly moved in its troops and dispatched the U.S. Seventh Fleet to the Taiwan Strait. The fighting on the Korean peninsula further aggravated Indo-American tensions. India did not want to actively support South Korea and considered ways to end the problems in the East including recognition and negotiations with China. Further, when the U.S. sent grain to India, Nehru once again did not want political ties attached. Then, India boycotted the Japanese peace treaty convocation at San Francisco. Yet, America continued to be schizophrenic in its decisions regarding India and Pakistan.
1950's Korean War, North Korea (Democratic People's Republic Korea) and South Korea (Republic Korea) Were Exploited by the Superpowers for Their Own Agendas The closing decade of the 20th century witnessed the end of the Cold War as the Soviet Union collapsed and its former Warsaw Pact allies flocked to join their former enemies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The end of the Cold War also resulted in the
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