ABSTRACT
In the wake of World War II the US emerged as the world’s dominant economic and military power, a position it used to promote capitalism and democracy against the “threat” of global communism. In its quest to wage a Cold War with the Soviet Union, the United States adopted an assertive and often unilateral foreign policy fueled by a permanent mobilization for war. Armed intervention and covert military activities frequently occurred worldwide under both Republican and Democratic administrations to ensure local governments were supportive of US global aims.
