The History of Containment Policy

The History of Containment Policy Containment was a foreign policy strategy followed by the United States during the Cold War. First laid out by George F. Kennan in 1947, the policy stated that communism needed to be contained and isolated, or else it would spread to neighboring countries. American foreign policy advisors believed that once one country fell to communism, each surrounding country would fall as well, like a row of dominoes. This view was known as the domino theory. Adherence to the policy of containment and domino theory ultimately led to U.S. intervention in Vietnam as well as in Central America and Grenada. Containment Policy The Cold War began after World War Two when nations formerly under Nazi rule ended up split between the conquests of the U.S.S.R. and the newly freed states of France, Poland, and the rest of Nazi-occupied Europe. Since the United States had been a key ally in liberating western Europe, it found itself deeply involved in this newly divided continent: Eastern Europe wasnt being turned back into free states, but rather being placed under the military and political control of the Soviet Union. Further, western European countries appeared to be wobbling in their democracies because of socialist agitation and collapsing economies, and the United States began to suspect that the Soviet Union was deliberately destabilizing these countries in an effort to bring them into the folds of communism. Even countries themselves were dividing in half over the ideas of how to move forward and recover from the last world war. This resulted in a lot of political and military turmoil for the years to come, with such extremes as the establishment of the  Berlin Wall  to separate East and West Germany due to the opposition to communism. The United States developed its policy of containment to prevent communism from spreading further into Europe and the rest of the world. The concept was first outlined in George Kennans Long Telegram, which he sent from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. The message arrived in Washington, D.C., on February 22, 1946, and was circulated widely around the White House. Later, Kennan published the document as an article titled The Sources of Soviet Conduct - which became known as X Article because Kennan used the pseudonym Mr. X. The policy of containment was adopted by President Harry Truman as part of his Truman Doctrine in 1947, which redefined Americas foreign policy as one that supports the free people who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or outside pressures. This came at the height of the Greek Civil War of 1946-1949 when much of the world was waiting to see which direction Greece and Turkey would go, and the United States agreed to help both countries to avoid the possibility that the Soviet Union would lead them to communism. The Creation of NATO Acting deliberately (and at times aggressively) to involve itself in the border states of the world and prevent them from turning communist, the United States spearheaded a movement that would eventually lead to the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The group alliance represented a multi-national commitment to halting the spread of communism. In response, the Soviet Union signed an agreement called the Warsaw Pact with Poland, Hungary, Romania, East Germany, and several other nations. Containment in the Cold War: Vietnam and Korea Containment remained central to American foreign policy throughout the Cold War, which saw rising tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. In 1955, the United States entered what some historians consider a proxy war with the Soviet Union, by sending troops into Vietnam to support the South Vietnamese in their battle against the communist North Vietnamese. The United States involvement in the war lasted until 1975, the year the North Vietnamese captured the city of Saigon. A similar conflict took place during the early 1950s in Korea, which was likewise divided into two states. In the fight between North Korea and South Korea, the United States backed the South, while the Soviet Union backed the North. The war ended with an armistice in 1953 and the establishment of the Korean Demilitarized Zone, a 160-mile barrier between the two states.

7 Harsh Reasons You Haven’t Gotten A Raise

7 Harsh Reasons You Haven’t Gotten A Raise You’ve been loyal, put in the time, done your best work, kissed the appropriate amount of derriere. Why, then, you ask, have you yet to get that raise or get promoted? Your last performance review doesn’t show any reasons why you shouldn’t be moving up the ladder. You work hard and you deserve it? Right! Well, maybe. But there are several reasons why you might not be getting the nod. Take a quick step back from the situation and see whether any of these possible impediments apply to you before freaking out or destroying the office printer with a baseball bat.1. You didn’t ask.This seems obvious, but it’s probably the number one reason people don’t get promoted or don’t get the extra pay they’re sure they deserve. It might feel uncomfortable to do it, but you have to make your needs known. If you don’t ask outright, your company is unlikely to just offer you extra money or a rung up the ladder. Arm yourself with some examp les of your demonstrated value to the company, take a deep breath, and make your request.2. You weren’t properly prepared.Or maybe you did ask, but didn’t come in armed and prepared to defend yourself with evidence and a proper request. If you can’t list your accomplishments and prove your value to your boss, she’s not likely to agree to give you more. Bottom line: be prepared with statistics about your field and examples of your own accomplishments.3. You’re not enough of a team player.You may be killing it as far as your responsibilities go, but are you reaching out and making it about the team and not just yourself? Your performance itself might be stellar, but you could easily lose out on a promotion because you’re only doing your job well, and not thinking enough about the team.4. You made it personal.Instead of focusing on and honing the argument for why you really deserve this raise based on your work, you made it about personal reaso ns. Next time you ask, think about step #2 and go in with a slew of facts and figures to support your request. Show off your accomplishments, pull out market research. Really dazzle.5. Your value stagnated.You might be crazy valuable, but if your value isn’t steadily improving with time, that still counts as not being valuable enough for that raise or promotion. Try taking a class or getting a new certification or skill and trying again. Expand your range and responsibilities so you can demonstrate the curve of your efforts.6. Your company is strapped.It might not be you at all. It could be office politics (in which case, learn to play that game ASAP) or it could be that your company just plain can’t afford it. Or perhaps your manager doesn’t have the bandwidth to advocate for you.If there is company dysfunction afoot, there are things you can fix and things you can’t. Try to figure out what your future prospects might be at this company. Talk to your bos s. If you’re going to stagnate for years, maybe start looking around for other, higher paying opportunities elsewhere. Make sure you’re being appreciated!7. You don’t deserve it.There’s always the risk that your perceptions of your own performance and value are just a little bit different from how others perceive you or the reality of the situation. In this case, try to systematize your value and see what you find out. Compare yourself across the industry, against your colleagues. Outline your accomplishments, then look them over with a cynical eye. Would you promote you? If the answer is no, make sure you get to work changing that answer.