The early stages of the Cold War grew quickly, testing its limits in proxy states. Beginning with Korea and Iran, these were critical points of the war in which communist states and anti-communist states came into direct military conflict and civil war. In this episode, we cover how the US-Soviet rivalry was present in both the Korean Peninsula and Iran, all from the perspective of America’s Foreign Service Officers.

The Cold War began as Europe was recovering from economic devastation. In response, the United States sent economic aid to various countries in order to strengthen its influence and their individual defense against the Soviet Union. Because of this, the Soviet Union would counter. In this episode, we cover Winston Churchill’s Iron Curtain speech, and President Harry Truman’s “Truman Doctrine” and its call for the Marshall Plan in countries like Greece, Turkey, and Germany, all from the perspective of America’s Foreign Service Officers.

The Cold War began in the aftermath of World War II. Ideological division rose from the victorious Allies: capitalism versus communism; a race seeking global influence between the United States and the Soviet Union. However there was a movement of countries who did not want any part of choosing sides: the Non-Alignment Movement. In this episode, we cover how a group of nations rose to confront the US-Soviet rivalry and established the Non-Alignment Movement as a “third road” in geopolitics, all from the perspective of America’s Foreign Service Officers.