![]() The communist opposition in Afghanistan was then met with US weaponry and financial aid. Subsequently, the 1980s saw a stark role reversal, as the Soviet military began combating a threat to communist rule in Afghanistan. In the 1960s, the communist uprising in Vietnam prompted US-led military intervention, and shortly after, Soviet weaponry and financial aid was provided to the North Vietnamese communist regime. The Vietnam False Positive and Afghanistan False Negative Once overlaid with historical events and conflicts, these control elements of domino theory symmetry will depict a contemporary Russian foreign policy almost identical to US policies of Cold War containment. ![]() This value will help contextualize the actions and reactions of Soviet and post-Soviet Russia over time. Second, I also incorporate the final value of “duration” and “pace” of the “falling process.” Duration and pace focus on the length of time and speed at which nations align themselves with other nations. The containment outcome yields a stalemate. Success and reversal outcomes will always yield two results: global unification in one direction and global isolation in the other direction. Reversal-The falling process is inverted. Success/Completion-All dominos down (global unification)ģ. Containment-Halting the falling process,Ģ. First, the simplicity of the theory holds three main outcomes:ġ. In preparing to analyze the symmetrical effects of domino theory, it is important to distinguish several control elements. In other words, if the United States found political and ideological isolation to be a dire concern, why should Russia not hold the same fears? Is the threat of international isolation only a viable concern for Western powers? Is domino theory still viable despite not being part of the Western foreign policy discourse for some time now? The inherent symmetrical applications of domino theory are largely unconsidered in modern day relations between the West and Russia. Domino theory was not annulled because communism failed: It was deemed obsolete because the West had overcome the fear of communism. The direction that the dominos fall only reverses national security concerns from one party to the other. To take a page from Adam Przeworski’s Democracy and the Market, “Henry Kissinger’s domino theory triumphed all he missed was the direction in which the dominoes would fall.” While factual, Przeworski’s observation is significantly understated. To remain unbiased and objective, this analysis will rely on historical events, patterns, and trends. However, overly critical analyses of Russia, in the name of domestic or global security, will almost always generate exaggerated, heavy-handed results. Recent events have amplified international focus on Russian influence in the “near abroad”-the group of non-Russian states formed out of the former Soviet Union. ![]() ![]() This article also aims to address the historical significance and consequences of policy misinterpretations within Western-Russian relations. This article aims to better analyze the symmetrical affects of domino theory as they correspond to Vladimir Putin’s Russia, its foreign policy objectives, and national security strategy. However, I argue that the premise and consequences of domino theory were in fact realized, not in the West, but in the East. In the West, the premise of domino theory was never proven and its consequences were never felt. Domino theory became used as an illustrative tool of US foreign policy and helped to justify US intervention in Korea and Vietnam through a policy of containment. Ultimately, this result would politically and ideologically isolate the United States. If left unchecked, the Soviet Union could spread across the globe-a string of “falling dominos”- until it isolated its final opposition and unleashed its nuclear might upon them. The Soviet Empire wished death upon American principles, liberties, and ideals, with a communist backbone rivaling that of Hitler’s fascism. A US foreign policy, domino theory argued that the fall of a nation to communism would trigger and fuel the spread of communism to neighboring nations. ![]()
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