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FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS The Security Dilemma between United States and Soviet Union During the Cold War Compiled by : Name : Yuliana Dolok Saribu ID : 016201400179 Program : International Relations Subject : Introduction to Political Science Lecturer : Natasya Kusumawardani, S.IP., MProfStuds (Hons) Class : International Relation 4 Batch 2014 President University Jl. Ki Hajar Dewantara, Cikarang Baru, Bekasi, Jawa Barat 17550

The Security Dilemma Between United States and Soviet Union During The Cold War

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Page 1: The Security Dilemma Between United States and Soviet Union During The Cold War

FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

The Security Dilemma between

United States and Soviet Union

During the Cold War

Compiled by :

Name : Yuliana Dolok Saribu

ID : 016201400179

Program : International Relations

Subject : Introduction to Political Science

Lecturer : Natasya Kusumawardani, S.IP., MProfStuds (Hons)

Class : International Relation 4 Batch 2014

President University

Jl. Ki Hajar Dewantara, Cikarang Baru, Bekasi, Jawa Barat 17550

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Abstract

The Cold War which was occurred since 1945 until 1991 has brings out the security dilemma

between blocks of United States and Soviet Union. The security dilemma is a state of weapons

dependence that become a policy of a country as if for the states interests defense of a country

but actually it is for threaten other countries. The security dilemmas which occur more than 40

years, brings many issues in international relations. The purpose of this study “Security Dilemma

between United States and Soviet Union during the Cold War” is to identify and understand the

relations between cold war and security dilemma. This study give attention to meaning of cold

war and security dilemma, why it was happened and what kind of security dilemma that has

experienced by Soviet Union and United States during the Cold War.

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I. INTRODUCTION

When studying the cases in Political Science, we often find thing which called as “War”. There

are so many wars that have been going on and change our universe. There are three wars that

known as the biggest war in our history. First is the World War I, which was occurred because

the economics, politics and territory reasons which were emerged by the Allies (United

Kingdom, France and Soviet Union) and the Central Power (Germany, Austria-Hungary and

Turkey). World War I occurred since 1914-1918 with the victory to the Allies. The second war is

the World War II, occurred because the failure of League of Nations, the competed and

strengthen military weaponry by developed country , the Germany Nazis, and also Japan

behavior in attacked Pearl Harbor, but unfortunately they defect again because many reasons like

their military itself and their economy itself. The World War II occurred since 1939 until 1945.

The third war is the Cold War. The Cold War itself rather different with the two wars before. It

was because the actor in the Cold War never combats in directly. It is also because the Cold War

occurred by the different ideologies and principals of United States and Soviet Union in handle

the Europe after the World War II. The Cold War itself begins since 1945-1991.

During the periods of the Cold War, we often find “Security Dilemma” word. That’s why there

some questions risen up when studying about the Cold War. First is why Security Dilemma

appears in the Cold War? Second, what kind of Security Dilemma had experienced by United

States and Soviet Union during the Cold War? Well, to answer both questions, this research

essay will give an explanation by the analyses of the Cold War with referenced to the

international relations as one of the subject matter or boundaries of political science itself.1

1 M Murali and Kumaresan Raja N.K, "Political Science," Higher Secondary –First Year, 2005.

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II. THE SHORT IDENTIFICATION OF WAR, SECURITY AND THE SECURITY

DILEMMA

War

Every time we heard the word “war”, automatically the thing had comes to our mind is the

massive condition followed by violence, ceasefire or arms race. War is something a threat and

becomes feared especially for the civil. It can be seen from what the civil perceived from the

beginning until the end of the World War I and II. They got mental shock, physical defect, losing

family members and relative, and also a destroyed living environment. The presence of war

makes the civil society more aware. War itself essentially exists because there is a power rolled

by the actor, like a state. The power that use in war can be in soft power or hard power. Soft

power tending to intangible power, like ideology or politics, while hard power tending to

tangible power, like military.

War can’t be avoided, because we don’t have an absolute international power to ensure it, even

now world already has United Nations as its peace keeper, but it still can’t warrant. Furthermore,

as like Karl Marx statement, written in The Critical Security Studies Concepts and Cases book,

“men makes their own history, but they do not make it just as they please; they do not make it

under circumstances chosen by themselves” 2 it showed us that war as a cultural phenomenon

(and hence a cultural problem) because war itself emerged by the basic of human nature that

defend what their wants, such like economics reason, territory , beliefs and so forth without

consider about their condition.3

Security

War had tight relations with strategy and security. Why? Because war is like play gambling. You

need to think about your security and your strategy to can win in it, same with war. If you want

to win in the war whether it in hard or soft power, you should think about your strategy to defeat

your enemy, but you should not forget about your condition. You should be aware about your

security. You need to build shield as your defense to protect you when your enemy attempts to

2 Keith Krause, Critical Security Studies Concepts and Cases, (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1997)

3 Ibid.

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attack you when you in careless. This is also happening to a state. Furthermore, both war and

security are kind of political practices by the state. In international relations, more or less

security level of a country ensures its survival in international system. Since security becomes

one of the vital interests of a country, the country will use all manners to maintain its security.

Security dilemma

To be secure is conventionally thought to refer to threats that originate from outside of the border

of the state and, if fulfilled, could undermine the stability and integrity of the state.4 That is why

sometimes the activities to maintain its security could establish security dilemma.

Security Dilemma is one of the concepts in the theory of realism that arise as a result of the

action of a country to improve their security caused of high suspicion, enmity and conflict

history between those states and finally this led to decline the security of one of those countries.

States begin not trust one another and fear that one state might become too powerful and risk the

security of another state.

This situation called as dilemma because all states begin competing over security measures, yet

in the end no state feels more secure. The impact of this condition is or called as balance

of power. When there is a country has its security more developed than the other, the other will

be increasing its security. It is aimed to balance their security with that country because to the

rest countries it is look alike a threat to their countries. The balance of power which is holds

might be more destructive if notice from the advance of technology and the development of more

advanced weaponry.

4 Ibid.

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III. THE COLD WAR

Short Approaches

The term "Cold War" was first used by The British writer, George Orwell, in 1945 to deplore the

worldview, beliefs, and social structure of both the United States and the Soviet Union, and

undeclared state of war that would come to exist between them after the end of World War II. 5

After that the “Cold War” word introduced to public by Bernard Baruch and Walter Lippman in

1947, which describes the relationship between United States and Soviet Union.

The United States and the Soviet Union were an alliance with France and involved in World War

I and II. In the World War I, Germany, Austria, and Turkey also make their alliance and work

together. At the start, the United States was neutral and impartially anyone. But when Germany

submarine accidentally hit the United States vessels in 1916, it had created the United States

anger. Finally, United States becomes sided with Britain, the Soviet Union and France which

was the opposite of the Germany alliance. The immersion of the United States facilitated the

Germany defeat and Allies countries won the World War I.

In the World War II, the US and the Soviet Union were in allied and defeat and destroyed

German Nazis. After the end of World War II, The Allies— the United States, the British and the

Russians — got together to address the question of how to organize the world after the war in

treaty of Yalta (from 4 to 11 February 1945) and the other in Potsdam (from 17 July to 2 August

1945).6 But nothing in history is strictly inevitable. It is plausible to argue that the Soviet Union

and United States in the Cold War was an inevitable. The old European balance of power had

just been destroyed utterly and only two states were still standing as truly great powers. Britain,

France and China were treated as great powers, but that was more attributable to habit, courtesy,

convenience and interests than to real strength.7

5 Melvyn P. Leffler and Odd Arne Westad. The Cambridge History of the Cold War, (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010), 3. 6 Ibid. 7 Gray, Colin S. War, Peace and International Relations: An Introduction to Strategic History. London: Routledge, 2007.

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As logic in international politics, when two polities stand far above the rest, sooner or later they

are bound to be rivals. That’s why the United States and Soviet Union becomes an enemy. As

Gordon S. Barras said that Cold War happened because a toxic mix of history, ideology,

geography and strategy8. The United States seeing this world should be lead in capitalist but the

Soviet Union seeing this world should be lead in communism.

These diverge of pretensions made those superpower country built their alliance and its puppet

state. This established East block referred to communist ideologies and chaired by Soviet Union,

while West Block is referred to capitalist and democracies ideologies and chaired by United

States. Over the next few decades, the competition between them more broader beyond Europe

and to the rest of the world while the US build a "defense" against communism by forming

alliances with various countries, especially with countries in Western Europe, the Middle East,

and Southeast Asia.

Although the two superpowers never fought directly, but the conflict between them indirectly has

led to a variety local wars or also called with proxy war, such as the Korean War, the Soviet

invasion of Hungary and Czechoslovakia and the Vietnam War. The results of the Cold War

were including (from multiple viewpoints) dictatorship in Greece and South America, the Cuban

Missile Crisis and also the more complex Middle East crisis. Another impact is Germany divided

into two parts, West Germany and East Germany. They were separated by the Berlin Wall. But

there are also times where the tension and competition between them was reduced. The Cold

War was ended in the 1980s when the Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev launched a

reform program, perestroika and glasnost. Constantly, the Soviet Union lost power and control

over Eastern Europe and eventually disbanded in 1991.

8 Ibid.

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IV. UNITED STATES AND SOVIET UNION SECURITY DILEMMA

EXPERIENCES

Security Dilemma in As one of the biggest war that has occurred in this world, men really

curious about what kind of security dilemma experienced by United States and Soviet Union

during the Cold War. The competition between United States and the Soviet Union was so fierce.

No one state wants their country defeat. That is why they strengthen their security and always

have a look and compare to others. Despite the name is security dilemma, but it doesn’t mean

that the dilemma only turn up in military field. The security dilemma also affects and turns up in

politic fields. Why? It was because the security has tight relations with politics. The United

States and Soviet Union want their country to get “safe and secure”. Therefore the dilemma not

only arises in hard power, military, but also in soft power, politics.

1. The security dilemma in military fields

Competition in the military aspect is shown in the form of building bases and the race of nuclear

weapons development, aircraft, weapons and aid to allies. At the first, the United States has

succeeded in creating their atomic bomb. It was used in shattered 2 cities of Japan, Nagasaki and

Hiroshima. In 1949, the Soviet Union held a test detonation of the first atomic bomb and they

succeed. It raises United States concerns in create and developing other bomb. Therefore the

United States immediately conduct research on the hydrogen bomb. In 1950, United States

President Harry S. Truman ordered the procurement of an emergency program for the study of

the hydrogen bomb. Research and testing was successfully conducted in November 1952.

However, nine months later, the Soviet Union has also been able to make their own hydrogen

bomb.

2. The security dilemma in politics field

In political fields, the United States tried to hold military-political cooperation with other

countries through some of the following names.

a. NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

b. CENTO (Central Nation Treaty Organization)

c. SEATO (South East Treaty Organization)

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d. ANZUS (Australia, New Zealand, United States)

To match the power of the United States and its allies, the Soviet Union entered into

collaboration many countries through some of the following names.

a. COMECON

b. WARSAW PACT

Also to demonstrate the effect of simultaneously establishing political power, the United

States provides economic assistance to other countries with the purpose is they

participating and work together to stem the communist influence. Here is the assistance

given the United States economy.

a. Marshall Plan aid that appears in the Paris Conference of 1947 was awarded to Western

European countries, this assistance ended in 1951.

b. Truman Doctrine, the United States economic aid given to three countries: Turkey,

Greece, and

Japan.

c. Mutual Security Act (MSA) is given to Asian countries with the aim of helping the CIA

fight against communism and the Soviet Union.

Meanwhile to counterbalance the power of the United States, the Soviet Union is also

providing assistance to the communist states in Eastern Europe with the name Molotov

Plan.

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V. CONCLUSION

A situation can establish other situations. It is better to us to know the background of a situation

that can be established another situation which more complicated, broader and scared. Like the

Cold War .Studying the background is useful to us. It is also useful in studying the Cold War.

As in the short approaches, it is giving an overview in understanding the Cold War itself. The

short approaches In the Cold War, as explained before, it was occurred because the different

ideologies, and principals between United States and Soviet Union in handling the Europe at the

end of World War II. The different desired of both countries bring them into their security

dilemma that makes those countries feel not confident with their situation.

From the explanations before, now we know why the Security dilemma can occurs. It is the point

of doing this research essay. To research why there is Security Dilemma during the Cold War,

and also to understand why what United States and Soviet Union faced, they experienced the

security dilemma in two fields. The first field is in military fields which is the kind of hard power

of a country. While the second is the politics field which is the kind of soft power of a country.

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REFERENCES

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Grauer, Ryan, and Michael C Horowitz. "What Determines Military Victory? Testing the

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