ABSTRACT
The Korean War had shown how difficult it could be to achieve limited objectives in the fight against Communism without the use of nuclear weapons, without a congressional declaration of war, and without full mobilization. The Cold War entered its most dangerous period, challenging the traditional American way of war. The United States and its European allies in NATO differed on their concept of war in Western Europe. The war in Korea, commitments in Europe, the defense buildup in the United States, and investment in new military technologies placed an incredible strain on the American federal budget and economy. Fresh from the Korean War, the United States again came close to open war with China in 1954 and again in 1958 over the contested islands of Quemoy and Matsu. Postwar nationalism and conflict between Arabs and new Israeli state, combined with increased oil production in the area, made the Middle East an intensely contested region in the early Cold War.
