Small Wars, Faraway Places : Global Insurrection and the Making of the Modern World, 1945-1965

"A sweeping history of the Cold War's many "hot" wars born in the last gasps of empire The Cold War reigns in popular imagination as a period of tension between the two post-World War II superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, without direct conflict. Drawing from new archival research, prize-winning historian Michael Burleigh gives new meaning to the seminal decades of 1945 to 1965 by examining the many, largely forgotten, "hot" wars fought around the world. As once-great Western colonial empires collapsed, counter-insurgencies campaigns raged in the Philippines, the Congo, Iran, and other faraway places. Dozens of new nations struggled into existence, the legacies of which are still felt today. Placing these vicious struggles alongside the period-defining United States and Soviet standoffs in Korea, Vietnam, and Cuba, Burleigh swerves from Algeria to Kenya, to Vietnam and Kashmir, interspersing top-level diplomatic negotiations with portraits of the charismatic local leaders. The result is a dazzling work of history, a searing analysis of the legacy of imperialism and a reminder of just how the United States became the world's great enforcer."--EBSCO Drawing From New Archival Research, Prize-winning Historian Michael Burleigh Gives New Meaning To The Seminal Decades Of 1945 To 1965 By Examining The Many, Largely Forgotten, Hot Wars Fought Around The World. From The Halls Of Montezuma To The Green Zone Of Baghdad -- Japan Opens Pandora's Box -- Harry Truman's World -- Arab Nationalism, Jewish Homeland -- Some More Victorious Than Others -- Police Action: Korea -- Emergency: Malaya -- By Huk Or By Crook: The Philippines -- Parachute The Escargot: Indochina -- Sometimes Special Relationship -- Hungary And Suez -- With Us Or Against Us: The Sub-continent -- Losing By Winning: Algeria -- Terror And Counter-terror: Kenya -- The Cold War Comes To Africa -- Backyard Blues: Cuba -- To The Brink: The Missile Crisis -- Overreach: Vietnam -- Watershed Of The American Century -- Epilogue: Legacies. Michael Burleigh. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.