What does the average American have to show for ending the last Cold War, besides their jobs being given way?

Question

to former Sovitt allies like China and India, now that the Cold War is BACK?

Answer 1

Our economy is destroyed. The US is now the biggest debtor nation on earth, whereas we used to be the biggest creditor nation. The US is still policing the world, but from "cruel dictators" rather than "communists". We've got the Orwellian-named "Patriot Act", we've got extrajudicial searches, we've got the biggest prison-population-per-capita on earth.

The US is destroying itself, and neither the Russians nor Chinese had to fire a shot. The Chinese just had to flood our markets with their Walmart junk, destroy the infrastructure for industry.

We could get it back, but it would be very difficult. We no longer have the capital. It has all been exported.

Russia is no longer communist, but more an authoritarian dictatorship. China claims to be communist, but has privately run businesses and a new middle-class and even new upper-class.

What will the average American have? How about a Uganda-style famine when China stops exporting their food?

Answer 2

We stopped building bunkers and started building swimming pools.

There is no cold war.

Russia is still broke and broken.

Answer 3

We all are very proud that we didn't allow the Soviet Union to annex Western Europe.

Answer 4

Twenty plus years of relative peace and a lessening in the amount of money spent on weapons research.  Also a lot of people in Europe that lived under Communist rule are now free.  And for a while, we didn't have to worry about bomb shelters and duck and cover drills.  I know you're probably too young to know what that is, but you can find it on line.

Unfortunately, the end of the Cold War also allowed Russia to pull their economy up out of the black hole they had dug themselves into, and they are currently in the grip of a man with no morals and the belief that what he wants he should get.  All we can do is hope that it only leads to another Cold War and not something worse.

Answer 5

"For ending the Cold War?"  How about freedom?  Your statement insinuates that, had we not won the Cold War, things would be the same.  

No, had we not won the Cold War, we'd all be under Communist rule and suffering from Communist Oppression.  For starters, you wouldn't even be allowed to post comments such as this on the internet.

I understand that you've grown up sheltered and naive and have no way of understanding what life like that would be like, but look at what is happening in Georgia and China and you might get a clue as to what the Cold War was about.

We are not into a new Cold War now.  Not yet.  That's not to say this isn't the beginning of one, but it'll take a few years to make it "official."  Kind of like determining when a recession starts.

For all we know, this could be the beginning of a Hot War.

Answer 6

we won the cold war?  of just put it off 20 years? hummmmm

Answer 7

The cold war isnt back, the USA is still fighting the old war, while our enemies China and Russia are defeating us economically. They are laughing at us as the Iraq and Afghan wars are destroying our economy

Answer 8

.. aren't you forgetting North Korea?

Answer 9

We have been able to use our bomb shelters for cool storage.  The war that is BACK is likely to turn into  a lightning fast purge of some evil characters around the globe.