Kissinger, a brilliant, German-born statesman, embraced realpolitik-a pragmatic, power-based approach to foreign policy that downplays morality and ethics. Reagan believed that although realpolitik might be pursued by other nations, the concept was alien to the United States. He thought that it undermined American ideals, which were a source of strength and not a weakness. He promised that if he became president, he would place human rights and the expansion of human liberty at the center of his national-security strategy.
Aldrich Ames, who betrayed Western intelligence assets to the Soviet Union and Russia in one of the most damaging intelligence breaches in U.S. history, has died in a Maryland prison. He was 84. A spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons confirmed Ames died Monday. Ames, a 31-year CIA veteran, admitted being paid $2.5 million by Moscow for U.S. secrets from 1985 until his arrest in 1994.
Many of the tactics used by modern militaries were forged long before today's conflicts ever began. During the Cold War, firearms were designed with an eye toward deterrence and large-scale war, but they ended up shaping how real battles were fought in proxy wars and beyond. Here, 24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look at Cold War firearms and how they influenced modern tactics.
POBUZKE, Ukraine In the middle of vast farm fields in southern Ukraine, you'll find what was once a secret Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile launch site. Today it's the Museum of Strategic Missile Forces. Aside from chronicling the Cold War arms race between the Soviet Union and United States, the museum tells the story of how Ukraine dismantled its nuclear weapons arsenal with assurances from the U.S., Britain and Russia that its sovereignty would be respected shortly after becoming an independent country in 1991.
"Third World" is often the first term that pops into Westerners' minds when they try to characterize less well-off, troubled countries. Everyone knows what they mean countries that are low in resources, where many people live in poverty, where health care and education systems are weak, where democracy may not be exactly flourishing. Where did this term come from? How is it regarded in the 21st century? And are there any better alternatives?
When bananas were imported once or twice a year, the queues stretched further than I had ever seen. My brother and I were desperate to get out. We'd hang around the checkpoints, hoping to befriend a West Berliner. Occasionally, they took pity and sent us packages. But escaping was rare and expensive. Most who managed it had paid thousands of marks.
We in the west used to play dirty and during the cold war, we were good at it. Nowadays, we leave grey-zone tactics and hybrid warfare to Russia, which is winning the disinformation war. Europe's pride in playing by the rules might just be democracy's achilles heel. The Berlin airlift is a good example of what we once did well and have since forgotten.
Following the end of World War II in 1945, a defeated Germany was divided into four occupation zones, controlled by the Allied powers: the United States, France, Great Britain and the Soviet Union. In 1949, two states emerged: the democratic Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) in the West, and the socialist German Democratic Republic (GDR) in the East, with the latter being under Soviet control.
Left without a headstone amid lingering fears of retribution from Moscow, the gravesite of Igor Gouzenko and his wife Svetlana has been identified since 2002 by a large Muskoka rock bearing a plaque with their names and the phrase "We chose freedom for mankind." A small gathering at the grave this weekend marked 80 years since Gouzenko defected from the Soviet Union, smuggling 109 secret documents in his shirt out of the Ottawa embassy and delivering them to the offices of the Ottawa Journal newspaper.
Fisher, who was a pilot during the Second World War, makes what he describes as a "quite simple" suggestion to reduce the chances of launching a nuclear attack: "Put that needed code number in a little capsule and then implant that capsule right next to the heart of a volunteer." Like the rotation of military personnel who today trade off carrying the "nuclear football"-the briefcase that contains the nuclear launch codes-the person with the implanted capsule would be near the President constantly.
Huston Smith discusses the family as a vital institution during Cold War tensions and technological change, interviewing Margaret Mead and Bertram Beck for their insights.
Music has long been perceived as dangerous, with authoritarian regimes perceiving it as a political weapon; both Soviet and American authorities have tried to suppress certain genres.
My father studied the Ukrainian artists, activists and workers who defied the Soviet regime and thus faced surveillance and imprisonment. Their resilience offers relevant lessons today.
