Home Categories About
argument top image
Should the Cold War be considered a war? Should the Cold War be considered a war?
Yes, the cold war should be considered a war Yes, the cold war should be considered a war
No, the cold war should not be considered a war No, the cold war should not be considered a war
The Cold War was a war because of its many Proxy Wars The Cold War was a war because of its many Proxy Wars
The Cold War was a war because of its deadly Arms Race The Cold War was a war because of its deadly Arms Race
The Cold War was a war because of the Red Scare The Cold War was a war because of the Red Scare
The Cold War was a war because of the Cuban Missile Crisis The Cold War was a war because of the Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cold War was a war because of the Space Race The Cold War was a war because of the Space Race
The Cold War was not a war, as there was no physical combat The Cold War was not a war, as there was no physical combat
There was no formal declaration of war during the Cold War There was no formal declaration of war during the Cold War
"Races" during the Cold War were tense but not warfare "Races" during the Cold War were tense but not warfare
The Cold War was not a war, it was a domestic Frenzy The Cold War was not a war, it was a domestic Frenzy
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a close call, but did not result in war The Cuban Missile Crisis was a close call, but did not result in war
There is no reason to call the Cold War a war There is no reason to call the Cold War a war
Debate Mini Map

Should the Cold War be considered a war?
Back to question

No, the cold war should not be considered a war

< (2 of 2)

The Cold War was not a war, as there was no physical combat

Although there were proxy wars and an arms race between the Soviet Union and the United States, there was no period of physical combat between the two nations at all.
George F. Kennan Raymond Aron Congressional Research Service
< (1 of 6) Next argument >

The Argument

The Cold War was a global struggle, but should not be considered a war. There was a constant threat of war throughout the period, but the US never fell to direct conflict with the main aggressor, Russia. This period can be eloquently described by the words of French Sociologist and political expert, Raymond Aron; ‘impossible peace, improbable war.” [1] The government even references the Cold War as "arguing on the world stage that Western-style democracy was superior"[2]. The US's involvement in the Cold War can be boiled down to an ideological disagreement and nothing more.

Counter arguments

The US has not officially declared war since WW2 despite being active in conflicts, primarily due to the fact that by remaining formally neutral, less responsibility falls on members of the US government. [3] Therefore, an official declaration or documented conflict should not be needed to define a war.

Proponents

Premises

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://www.cvce.eu/content/publication/2011/11/21/6dfe06ed-4790-48a4-8968-855e90593185/publishable_en.pdf
  2. https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R44891.pdf
  3. https://www.niskanencenter.org/why-america-wont-declare-war/

In the Wild

This page was last edited on Monday, 21 Sep 2020 at 13:56 UTC

Explore related arguments