Kennedy Doctrine and the Cold War
In his inaugural address as the President of the United States on January 1961, John F. Kennedy (popularly called "JFK") delivered a message that directly discussed the United States' official stance regarding its move to implement a foreign policy waging a "cold war" against Communist forces that have been gaining popularity in Asia, South America, and parts of the Middle East during this period. This U.S. foreign policy, popularly called the containment policy against Communism, was the pretext from which the eventual Cold War between Democratic and Communist forces escalated until the 1970s. During this period, JFK was assigned the task of continuing the American legacy of democracy and liberty by promoting a campaign of international alliance and cooperation against the Communist forces. At this point, Communist forces were gaining ground in South America, increasing the threat to both American soil and the country's ideals and principles as a nation. Communism is considered the opposite of everything that American democracy and freedom stands for, and for this reason the American government sought to abolish the Communist ideology and its rapidly-spreading social revolution worldwide. This was the violent political climate that JFK found himself in when he sat down to take on the responsibilities of the Presidency of the United States of...
The Kennedy Doctrine dealt with the issue of poverty as the critical factor that ultimately made nations vulnerable to Communism, and this is what he directly addressed in the first part of his speech. He referred to these impoverished nations as those "living in huts and villages" and "struggling to break the bonds of mass misery." JFK and the U.S. government pledged its support to these nations "not because the Communists may be doing it… but because it is right" (Kennedy 1961). This was an extension of the Truman Doctrine two decades earlier wherein the United States pledged to prevent the progress and spread of Communism throughout the world. By the time Kennedy took office, the American agenda against Communism was widely known and accepted as policy.
These words communicate the message that the support poor nations might be receiving from the Communist forces such as Russia/Soviet Union (one of the stronger forces promoting Communism worldwide during this time), can be met and equaled by the…
