Third World Countries

Strategies of the Cold War Both the USSR and the US would back wars of revolution, liberations or counterrevolutions CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) and the KGB (Committee for State Security) engaged in secret activities – Spying, assassination attempts, military aid and etc… Some countries remained neutral (India) Nonaligned Nations formed a “Third Force”

Latin America For years the US had business opportunities in Latin America After WWII, communism and nationalistic ideas inspired many countries of Latin America In Cuba Fidel Castro leads a revolution and takes control in 1959 Castro takes over US sugar mills and refineries US puts an embargo on Cuba

Cuba 1960 CIA trains anti-Castro Cuban exiles 1961 Invade Cuba but get no support by the US in regards to air protection Known as the Bay of Pigs invasion By 1962, the Soviets place nuclear missiles in Cuba Pres. Kennedy and Sec. Khrushchev spend 13 days dealing with the Cuban Missile Crisis

Nicaragua Both the US & the Soviets funded dictator Anastasio Somoza Communist rebels (Sandinistas) toppled the govt. in 1979 and Daniel Ortega takes over Sandinistas would go to El Savador US supported anti-communist group (Contras) Civil War would last a decade

Middle East Islamic & Western values begin to clash After WWII, the Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi embraced western business In 1959 Prime Minister Muhammed Mossadeq began to nationalize British owned companies Fearing Soviet interference, the US help restore power to the Shah

Ayatollah Khomeini Iran grew as a country but most people lived in poverty Conservative Muslim leaders known as Ayatollahs opposed western culture By 1978, Iranians began rioting from city to city Khomeini comes to power 1979 Took 60 US hostages and tried to force the US bring the Shah to trial Hostages were released in 1981

Saddam Hussein Iraq, Suddam Hussein governed as a secular state Iraq long time ally with the Soviet Union War breaks out between Iran and Iraq in 1980 US secretly gives aid to Iraq War ends in 1988

Russia invades Afghanistan Afghanistan remained neutral from both the US and the Soviet Union Late 1970’s, Musslims threatened to topple the Afghan communist regime Soviets invade in 1979 in hope that Communist Muslims would rise up and take control US armed rebels since they viewed it as protecting US oil supplies in the Middle East Soviets would eventually pull out in 1989