HI302x Block 3 Flashcards

George F. Kennan

U.S. diplomat; authored “Long Telegram,” advocated containment. Why it matters: Foundation of U.S. Cold War strategy; shaped global policy.

Harry Truman

U.S. President; issued Truman Doctrine, oversaw NATO creation. Why it matters: Committed U.S. to global anti-communist posture; start of Cold War.

Kim Il-sung

North Korean leader; launched invasion of South Korea (1950). Why it matters: Sparked Korean War; first major Cold War armed conflict.

Douglas MacArthur

UN commander in Korea; led Inchon landing, later dismissed. Why it matters: Showed operational brilliance and civil-military tension.

Mao Zedong

Chinese communist leader; intervened in Korea, theorized insurgency. Why it matters: Shifted Korean War balance; influenced revolutionary warfare globally.

Matthew Ridgway

U.S. general; stabilized Korean front after Chinese intervention. Why it matters: Demonstrated leadership in restoring morale and defense.

Charles de Gaulle

French leader; resisted U.S. dominance, pursued nuclear independence. Why it matters: Shaped NATO politics and postcolonial military strategy.

Ho Chi Minh

Leader of Viet Minh/North Vietnam; nationalist-communist. Why it matters: Directed wars vs France and U.S.; central to Vietnam conflict.

Viet Cong

Communist insurgents in South Vietnam. Why it matters: Key to guerrilla war; Tet Offensive undermined U.S. strategy.

Viet Minh

Anti-French independence movement (1941–54). Why it matters: Defeated France; set stage for U.S. involvement.

Lyndon B. Johnson

U.S. President; escalated Vietnam War massively. Why it matters: Committed U.S. forces; domestic backlash shaped future policy.

William Westmoreland

U.S. general; MACV commander; attrition strategy. Why it matters: Illustrated limits of search-and-destroy in insurgency.

Ngo Dinh Diem

South Vietnam’s first president; authoritarian rule. Why it matters: Alienated population; coup destabilized RVN.

Le Duan

North Vietnamese leader post-Ho; aggressive strategy. Why it matters: Directed Tet Offensive and final victory.

Creighton Abrams

U.S. general; shifted to pacification and Vietnamization. Why it matters: Managed drawdown; adapted COIN approach.

Anwar Sadat

Egyptian President; led Yom Kippur War, pursued peace. Why it matters: Tactical surprise; strategic diplomacy reshaped Middle East.

Gamal Abdul Nassar

Egyptian leader; Suez Crisis, pan-Arabism. Why it matters: Triggered superpower confrontation; symbol of Arab nationalism.

Saddam Hussein

Iraqi dictator; invaded Kuwait (1990). Why it matters: Sparked Desert Storm; lessons in joint warfare and regime change.

Mullah Mohammed Omar

Taliban founder; ruled Afghanistan, harbored al-Qaeda. Why it matters: Central to Afghan insurgency and U.S. intervention post-2001.

Osama bin Laden

Al-Qaeda leader; orchestrated 9/11 attacks. Why it matters: Triggered global War on Terror; reshaped U.S. strategy.

Operation Chromite

Inchon amphibious landing (1950). Why it matters: Operational surprise; reversed Korean War momentum.

Chinese Intervention in Korea

PRC entered war with massed forces (1950). Why it matters: Prolonged conflict; forced UN retreat; stalemate.

The Malayan Emergency

British COIN vs communist insurgents (1948–60). Why it matters: Model for integrated civil-military counterinsurgency.

The Algerian War of Independence

FLN insurgency vs France (1954–62). Why it matters: Showed limits of colonial COIN; political warfare primacy.

The First Indochina War

France vs Viet Minh (1946–54). Why it matters: Ended French rule; set stage for U.S. involvement.

Battle of Dien Bien Phu

Viet Minh siege victory (1954). Why it matters: Ended French presence; highlighted logistics and artillery.

Battle of Ia Drang

First major U.S.–NVA clash (1965). Why it matters: Tested air mobility; revealed attrition costs.

Operation Rolling Thunder

U.S. bombing campaign (1965–68). Why it matters: Failed to break Hanoi’s will; escalated war.

The Tet Offensive

Nationwide VC/NVA attacks (1968). Why it matters: Strategic shock; eroded U.S. public support.

My Lai

U.S. massacre of civilians (1968). Why it matters: Moral crisis; accelerated antiwar sentiment.

Invasions of Cambodia and Laos

U.S./ARVN incursions (1970–71). Why it matters: Temporary gains; political backlash; trails persisted.

Six-Day War

Israeli preemptive strike (1967). Why it matters: Redefined Middle East balance; set conditions for future wars.

Yom Kippur War

Arab surprise attack (1973). Why it matters: Led to U.S.-Soviet tensions; energy crisis; military lessons.

Soviet-Afghan War

USSR vs Mujahideen (1979–89). Why it matters: Attritional quagmire; contributed to Soviet collapse.

Desert Shield & Desert Storm

Coalition defense and liberation of Kuwait (1990–91). Why it matters: Showcased joint precision warfare and logistics.

U.S. interventions in the 1990s

Somalia, Haiti, Balkans ops. Why it matters: Tested peace enforcement and humanitarian missions.

September 11th, 2001

Al-Qaeda attacks on U.S. homeland. Why it matters: Triggered global counterterrorism and GWOT.

De-Nazification

Allied purge of Nazi influence post-1945. Why it matters: Set norms for post-conflict governance.

International War Crimes Tribunals

Nuremberg/Tokyo trials. Why it matters: Established accountability for crimes against humanity.

Marshall Plan

U.S. economic aid to Europe (1948). Why it matters: Stabilized allies; contained Soviet influence.

The “Long Telegram”

Kennan’s analysis of Soviet motives (1946). Why it matters: Basis for containment strategy.

NSC-68

U.S. Cold War blueprint (1950). Why it matters: Militarized containment; shaped defense budgets.

Maoist Stages of insurgency

Organization → Guerrilla → Mobile warfare. Why it matters: Framework for revolutionary wars globally.

Briggs Plan

British COIN strategy in Malaya. Why it matters: Effective template for population control and security.

Ho Chi Minh Trail

NVA supply route through Laos/Cambodia. Why it matters: Sustained insurgency despite interdiction.

CORDS

U.S. pacification program in Vietnam. Why it matters: Attempt to unify civil-military COIN efforts.

Vietnamization

U.S. strategy to shift combat burden to ARVN. Why it matters: Reduced U.S. footprint; mixed results.

Vietnam Syndrome

U.S. reluctance for large interventions post-Vietnam. Why it matters: Shaped doctrine and political constraints.

Paris Peace Accords

1973 ceasefire; U.S. withdrawal terms. Why it matters: Failed to secure lasting peace.

Nixon Doctrine

U.S. reliance on allies for defense. Why it matters: Reduced direct intervention; influenced Gulf policy.

Détente

U.S.-USSR thaw (1970s). Why it matters: Lowered tensions; arms control agreements.

Brezhnev Doctrine

Soviet right to intervene in socialist states. Why it matters: Justified Prague invasion; constrained Eastern Bloc.

VOLAR

Transition to All-Volunteer Force post-1973. Why it matters: Professionalized U.S. military.

AirLand Battle

U.S. doctrine integrating deep strikes and maneuver. Why it matters: Influenced Desert Storm and modern operations.

Weinberger Doctrine

Criteria for U.S. force use. Why it matters: Response to Vietnam lessons; shaped 1980s policy.

Revolution in Military Affairs

Tech-driven warfare shift (precision, networks). Why it matters: Enabled joint, high-tempo operations.

de-Baathification

Purge of Saddam’s party in Iraq post-2003. Why it matters: Created governance gaps; fueled insurgency.

The Surge

U.S. troop increase in Iraq (2007). Why it matters: Temporarily reduced violence; enabled political processes.

The Taliban

Afghan Islamist movement; insurgency vs U.S./Afghan forces. Why it matters: Central actor in Afghanistan’s conflicts.

ISIS/ISIL

Extremist proto-state in Iraq/Syria (2014–19). Why it matters: Redefined terrorism and counterinsurgency globally.