Cold War Rhetorical Analysis

The rhetoric of the Cold War portrayed the United States as leading the fight for freedom against a repressive, evil, and totalitarian regime. This regime was portrayed as ultimately wishing to instill its methods of repression on the rest of the free world. So the strategy employed could be considered one of containment.
This strategy, in practice, meant making sure Soviet influence was stifled in all free countries. This practice was found in Central and South America. Through military training and financial aid to anti-communist groups in these areas, the United States attempted to ensure that any Soviet influence would be quickly eradicated. However, such practices were not limited to this region. The strategy of containing Soviet influence …show more content…
It is this “willingness,” of the United States, to do what is right that has been portrayed in both the rhetoric of the Cold War as well as the rhetoric of the War on Terror. In any case, we do lead the international ‘Coalition of the Willing,’ and this coalition is portrayed as consisting of only those countries with the courage and resolve to face an evil like terrorism.
Furthermore, recognizing this resemblance in the rhetoric of both wars is especially significant considering the campaigns are clearly separated by time, region, and philosophy. This might lead some to draw a greater understanding of other commonalities shared by the two …show more content…
In many ways, the rhetoric of the Cold War and the policies and operations that ensued from that rhetoric, were indeed noble and worthwhile. This does not gibe credence or legitimacy of future, and in the case of the War on Terror, unrelated operations also fought under the noble and worthy banner of freedom. Furthermore, the lessons from the Cold War need to be applied to future conflicts whether those conflicts occur at home or abroad, and those lessons need be applied, or at least acknowledged, in order to ensure the success of those future