It is the conventional wisdom that the Cold War was basically ideological and military conflicts between capitalist and socialist camps since the Second World War. The established concept of the Cold War is probably an ideological construct, or myth w ...
It is the conventional wisdom that the Cold War was basically ideological and military conflicts between capitalist and socialist camps since the Second World War. The established concept of the Cold War is probably an ideological construct, or myth which effectively fail to interpretate historical facts, especially the Vietnam War and Sino -American rapprochement. So, it is necessary to reexamine the real pictures and its historical meanings of the Cold War.
This study primarily focuses to the Vietnam War and Sino-American Rapprochement in terms of the Cold War history in which conflicts had been centered between Imperialism and National Liberation Movement. The following is the results of this study:
First, Camps were actually absented in the Vietnamese War. The Vietnam War had wholly involved local, regional, and global contradictions in the 1960s -regional Hegemony, Imperialism, Colonial Nationalism. The relations of among Hanoi, Beijing, and Moscow were always suspicious and seriously conflicting each other, although the basic cause of socialist internationalism. The Chinese and the Soviets were became ‘primary enemy’ since at least 1965. Despite of openly proclamation about their hostility, the US and the USSR were cooperative in the Vietnamese War. Thus, the war partner of the US was naturally China, not Russia. On the other hand, the America's European allies not agreed and responded to the causes and efforts of American's Vietnam War and sought for political settlement as the USSR prefer to. Nevertheless, Johnson decided to plunge into the Vietnam swamp to avoid political defeat in domestic and foreign policies and justified it with the domino theory. The Vietnam War was basically conflict between the Vietnamese nationalism and imperialist America. But, it also was war between American and China in which they attempted to resolve complex matters in their domestic and foreign policies.
Second, China's drastic change of attitudes toward the US was based on serious threats on its national security imposed by the Soviets and Northern Vietnam. Northern Vietnam' acceptance of negotiated settlement proposed by Jonson Administration represented the betrayal of the cause of Cultural Revolution and adoption of the Soviets line. The Soviets military threats was the matter of live and death to the Chinese. It was, therefore, necessary for Chinese leadership to approach to the US. Then, ironically, the behaviors of the Soviets and Northern Vietnam gave logic and rationale capable to contact with imperialist America without some changes of Chinese revolutionary ideology. Chinese leadership regarded the Soviets as primary enemy and could established United Front with the US.
The American new approach toward China was to preserve national interests in the changing global situation, not simply counterweight against the Soviets and extension of former adminstration' China policies. Nixon perceived that conflictive world order between imperialism and National Liberation Movement was over, and all nations, notwithstanding their systems and ideologies, should seek to new peaceful world order. That order is not able to established, without China. That was essential reason why Nixon had to keep friendship or ally with China. But, with especially domestic conservatives' negative criticism of China policy change, Nixon and Kissinger were imposed to explain Snio-American Rapprochement in terms of realistic perspective or power politics against the Soviet. But, it was not mainly purpose of Nixon's historical Visit China.
Third, after Sino-American Rapprochement, the Politics on the Korean Peninsular have been worked by 'Cold War ideology without the Cold War' and conventional geopolitical logic. With effects of new peaceful mood, Inter-korean relations also seemed to change in line with the principles of self-determination, peaceful reunification, and great national unity. But, before long, aspiration and anticipation on reunification was shattered, authoritarian regimes were established in the two koreas. The domestic and international circumstances itself resulting from Sino-American rapprochement were threatening crisis to the South regime while, for North regime, provided the chance of peaceful offensive chance to the South regime and international community. South Korean regime was a reactionary response to the new reconciliation and world order.
Sum it up, with the Vietnam War and Sino-American rapprochement, the Cold War, long term confrontation between imperialism and principally National Liberation, was actually over. Notwithstanding, authoritarian regimes on korean peninsular threateningly controled korean peoples in the name of national security. That was the operation mechanism of the politics on the Korean peninsular.