Asia in the
Cold War
Emilie, Reshma, JM, and Ian
K.
Laos (Em)
 Maintain
status quo in Laos
 Sent marines in Thailand but refused to
become militarily involved in Laos
 Would have risked Chinese intervention
 Communist government share power in
coalition govt with neutralist
Sino-Soviet Split (Em)
 Hostile
China
 Lack of Soviet support in Taiwan Strait crisis
 Soviets helped India in Sino-Indian dispute
 1959 – termination of Soviet nuclear
assistance to China
 Improvement of Soviet-American relations
Kennedy and China (Em)
 China
wanted US to terminate ties with
Taiwan
 Kennedy/Congress refused
 Opposed recognition of Communist
China to UN
 Supported India in Sino-Indian dispute
 Oct. 1964 – China exploded first nuclear
device
US-China Relations (Resh)
 improvements
desired
 Conflict with USSR (Ussuri River)
 Nixon Doctrine
 American benefits
 China > Taiwan
India and Pakistan (Resh)
 China
+ Pakistan
 USSR provoked Bengal revolt
 US/China link makes India enemy
 USSR undoes actions
 Independence of Bangladesh
 Nukes in India
Related to Vietnam/downfall
(Resh)
 UN
permissions (China/Taiwan)
 Vietnam: China not getting too involved
 China restricted USSR (US relations)
 Laos/Cambodia = communist
 US humiliation
 Mayaguez crew freed
U.S. vs Vietnam (JM)
 U.S.
attempts to fix war wounds, but also
stop Communists in Vietnam.
 Gave money ($5 million in assistance),
eased travel restrictions, dropped UN
veto.
 Vietnam asks for reparations promised
secretly by Nixon.
 Conflict between Vietnam and
Cambodia, The USSR and China.
Sino-American Entente (JM)
 China
wanted U.S. support to keep USSR
influence in Southeastern Asia.
 U.S. had to give up Taiwan though.
 US China relations angered the USSR
causing them to stall SALT.
 China sidetracks from normalization
during conflict with Cambodia.
South Korea (JM)
A
worthy target for Carter’s new human
rights policies. Pulls out troops.
 Carter wanted to garner support for SALT
II more, deemphasized violation of human
rights to gain Republican support in
Congress. Led to the impossibility of
protecting and fixing the people. Eventual
military dictator.
Overview (Ian)
 Vietnam
Syndrome
 Reagan = furiously anticommunist
 Change in policy
 Heightened tensions with China and North
Korea
China and Korea (Ian)
 Reagan
didn’t like Chinese
 Saw no benefit in Chinese allies
 Increase in troops in South Korea
 Strained relations
China and Korea cont. (Ian)
 Remilitarize
Japan = freaked everyone
out
 Sino-Soviet relations start to look peachy
 Out of fear, US makes greater effort in
Sino-US relationships
 Win-win with Sino-US relationship