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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…
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 United States, without sacrificing their liberties and human rights. JFK reiterated that human rights are given by the "hand of God," and not from the "generosity of the state," which characterized the complete control of the state/government under the Communist/Socialist society (Kennedy 1961). The doctrine ended with a reminder to United States allies to cooperate and join forces with the American government in its fight for democracy and freedom, as well as the containment of Communism worldwide. He presented a challenge to the American government's ally nations in "defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger," signaling the serious threat that Communism presented to the U.S. during JFK's term (Kennedy 1961). With its direct reference against Communism and its political and military forces in South America and neighboring countries of the United States, the doctrine had indeed solidified the country's fight against Communism -- albeit diplomatically and without the threat of weapons. It was hoped that the United States could prevent the Cold War with the U.S.S.R. from requiring military action and thankfully the war ended without either side having to fire a single shot.
Analysis of the U.S. government's containment policy during JFK's term as president was, in hindsight, shown to be geo-politically and economically-motivated. Leffler's (1984) explication of the United States' containment policy against Communist nations such as the Soviet Union was mainly a response to protecting U.S. interests in South American nations. During JFK's term, the U.S. had numerous interests in the region, which the author called the country's "strategic sphere," having established an "overseas base, air transit rights" that were beneficial to U.S. national security (Leffler 1984,-page 348). With Communism influencing nations in the South American region, the U.S. stood to lose all these strategic benefits, increasing the risk of its security from a geopolitical standpoint. A similar assessment was developed by Naji and Jawan (2011), who contended that what motivated the U.S. government to contain Communism in the Middle Eastern was not so much about the principles of democracy and freedom, but to protect its economic interests in the oil-rich region, as most of the oil companies are either owned, operated, or supported by U.S. companies (page 206-7). The imperative thing for the government was in keeping control of valuable resources and ensuring that these same resources remained out of the hands of the enemies of the American government.
Considering the effects that the containment policy contributed to international politics and the world order during JFK's time, it can be said that the policy made nations rethink about the world order and status quo as it stood
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