War on Terrorism and the Cold War?

Question:How is the current War on Terrorism similar to the Cold War? What are the differences between the two conflicts?

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War on Terrorism = war between US and Terrorism

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: How is the current War on Terrorism similar to the Cold War? What are the differences between the two conflicts?

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War on Terrorism = war between US and Terrorism

similar: the us used both terrorism and communism to justify actions abroad, and in both it is a war of cultures

differences: in the cold war, MAD was in effect. in the war on terrorism, the terrorists can only do minor attacks (relative to nukes). also, the soviets wanted to live in a world after the us has been defeated, these terrorists don't care whether or not they survive

i know, overgeneralizations

apples and oranges i tell you.

the Cold war is very similar to that, because like yesterday we don't understand that there is a war, but we ca see it indirectly

The Bush administration is trying to persuade itself and everyone else that the ‘global war on terrorism’ (GWoT) will, like the Cold War, be a ‘long war’ requiring sustained mobilization against an implacable foe. It has had some success in projecting this idea, and if it takes root the GWoT could indeed become a durable, dominant, unifying idea that would enable Washington to reassert and legitimize both its special claims as the sole superpower and US leadership of global security. The question is: how likely is this to happen? By looking at the surrounding events and contexts that could support or undermine the elevation of the GWoT to the status of the new Cold War, the author argues that it is not all that likely. Many factors could undermine it, not least that most of the strategies on off er corrode the liberal values that they are supposed to defend.

I am not 100% sure put terrorism war is with weapons (guns, bombs, etc) and a cold war is not really declared a war but people are more like spy's, (not secret agents) but they send reports back and forth about important news in the country.

The cold war was a difference in philosphy of governments and ideologies of countries. The Terrorists are not representing the official position of the government of the countries in which they live.

Differences
Cold War was a battle of political ideologies vs a battle between religious ideologies.
CW was state on state, WoT is state vs individual groups (this is arguable but Al Queada is not state sponsored per say)

Similarities
Both are pitting East vs West

Both allow the US to terrorise its citizens into accepting massive erosions of their civil liberties and huge expenses.

Both are used as excuses for unilateral invasions, torture, assassination etc.

The Cold War involved a system of government just as in need of an enemy to exploit their own people, the various communist regimes throughout the world. In the case of the GWT, the place of a government is taken by a radical branch of Islam, which is exploiting the "Great Satan" to unify and pressure the governments of Muslim countries.

Cold war=tension between the communist world and the USA=arms race/technology race/small scale wars.

War on Terror=Secret code name of Bush's evil plan to control the Middle East's oil supply so he can control oil prices. Its really no more than imperialism in the Middle East.