An Analysis of Odd Arne Westad's The Global Cold War

Westad's seminal 2005 work shifts the focus of Cold War studies from Europe to the post-World War II interventions by both the Soviet Union and the United States in the affairs of developing nations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Using new archival sources that became available after the fall of communism, Westad explains how these interventions destabilized the Third World, laying the foundations for contemporary problems and conflicts in the Global South. The Global Cold War is the first example of the 'New' Cold War History school of thought, which links all the international arenas where the struggle took place and helps make sense of conflicts still raging today. Book jacket.