Proxy war
A proxy war is a war in which two or more major powers in conflict do not directly confront each other militarily, but instead carry out this military confrontation in one or more third countries . The third countries act as a kind of representative of the great powers that often "only" take part in the background.
term
The term “proxy war” found its way into the language through the Cold War ( English “proxy war”). It was first used during the Vietnam War and picked up in literature and politics. Originally it only referred to the wars that increasingly emerged after the Second World War, in which the USA and allies on the one hand, and the Soviet Union and allies (the so-called Eastern Bloc ) on the other, their geopolitical and ideological conflicts of interest in third countries militarily unsubscribe.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union , the term was given a broader meaning and also extended to wars by other great powers before and after the "Cold War".
After the end of the “Cold War”, the term “proxy war” also found its way into everyday language as a metaphor .
Characteristic
The proxy war is characterized by the fact that a conflict, civil war or war that usually already exists in the third countries is instrumentalized for the respective purposes of the major powers involved and, if this is not already the case, expanded into a military conflict. The primary goal of the great powers in the proxy war is to maintain or expand the respective spheres of interest at the expense of the other great powers.
The warring parties in the third country receive direct or indirect support with the aim of helping the warring faction supported to victory. The support can be of a military nature ( military aid ) as well as of a logistical, financial or other nature. With a victory of the respective warring party, the sphere of interest of the supporting superpower is expanded and consolidated.
The actions of the major powers involved for their respective deputies are divided into two different types:
- Indirect action
- The deputies are supported financially, militarily (e.g. by military advisers ) or otherwise.
- Direct action
- There is an official military intervention by soldiers of at least one major power involved.
The main cause of proxy war is generally the fact that the major powers involved do not want a direct military confrontation. The reasons for this can be complex. On the one hand, possible escalation stages between the actual warring parties should be avoided. For example, a war between the US and the USSR would almost inevitably have led to a nuclear war . The proxy wars, on the other hand, made controlled conventional warfare possible in the Cold War as well. On the other hand, the populations of the major powers involved are not the primary victims of the conflict, but mainly the populations of third countries.
Examples
Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)
During the Spanish Civil War, Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy supported the putschists under Francisco Franco . On the other hand, the communist supplied Soviet Union , the Spanish Republic with weapons and supported by occasionally sending military advisors the government.
With the victory of the putschists, the Franco dictatorship began and Spain joined the Anti-Comintern Pact , thus joining the ranks of the fascist states. With a view to later wars, the German Reich and Italy were able to try out new weapon systems and operational techniques for the first time in order to increase the combat experience of their troops.
The Soviet Union's goal of creating influence in various European countries through so-called Popular Front governments failed and led to a loss of prestige for the Soviet Union.
Chinese Civil War after World War II (1945–1949)
The final phase of the Chinese civil war is seen as a proxy war. As early as 1927, nationalists under Chiang Kai-shek and communists under Mao Zedong fought against each other in China . During the Second World War, both sides formed an alliance of convenience against the Japanese, but after the end of the world war civil war broke out again. The USA supported the nationalists, the USSR the communists.
The war ended in 1949 with Chiang Kai-shek's defeat and flight to Taiwan. Meanwhile, Mao Zedong proclaimed the socialist People's Republic of China . However, the Kuomintang was able to stabilize the Republic of China on Taiwan . Taiwan is claimed by the People's Republic of China, which continues as the Taiwan conflict to this day.
The People's Republic of China was an ally of the Soviet Union until the Sino-Soviet split . The Republic of Taiwan remains a firm ally of the West to this day, which has led to considerable conflicts in some cases, as China does not accept the island as an independent state, but regards it as part of its own country.
Korean War (1950–1953)
Before the war, Korea was divided into a northern Soviet occupation zone and a southern US occupation zone along the 38th parallel. However, since the resolutions of the Yalta Conference , which provided for a free and unified Korea, were not implemented, the 38th parallel became the line of demarcation. As a result, the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea emerged . In June 1950, after several border violations, war broke out.
The USSR supplied the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ( North Korea ) with arms, trained troops, dispatched advisers and hired Russian pilots, but did not officially enter the war. The People's Republic of China also did not officially take part, but instead declared the Chinese troops as "volunteer armies". On the other side, units of US troops fought, albeit under the command of the United Nations .
The outcome of the war led to the consolidation of the division of Korea and the preservation of the spheres of interest of the two superpowers. There is no peace treaty between North and South Korea, only a ceasefire agreement or a declaration of intent to start negotiations from 2007.
Vietnam War (1964–1975)
The Soviet Union and China supported North Vietnam with weapons and equipment. The USA took part in the fighting on the side of the ARVN ( South Vietnam ) from 1965 to 1973 .
With the victory of the communists, Vietnam was united into a socialist state. In neighboring Cambodia, the communist Khmer Rouge finally won after a phase of destabilization caused by a military coup by General Lon Nol tolerated by the USA . Thus, despite intensive US intervention, old Indochina was under communist rule.
Yom Kippur War (1973)
The Soviet Union carried out reconnaissance flights over Israel from Egypt from the spring of 1971 , and the Israelis tried in vain to intercept these aircraft. Armies of the states of Egypt and Syria armed by the Soviet Union attacked Israel. During the war there was an aerial battle between the Israeli F-4 Phantom II or Mirage and the MiG-21 of the Egyptian Air Force flown by Soviet pilots . A total of 150 Soviet pilots were stationed in Egypt. Israel received arms supplies and political support from the United States. Officially, both superpowers did not enter the war.
Israel was able to maintain its position as a regional power and avoid its threatened annihilation. The US was able to advertise its ally's clout and thus protect its interests in the Middle East. The war was not followed by lasting peace - the Middle East conflict continues to this day .
Civil War in Angola (1975-2002)
After independence from Portugal in 1975, UNITA, backed by the US and South Africa, and the MPLA, backed by the USSR and Cuba , fought each other . The two superpowers did not officially enter this war, but Cuba and South Africa did so on a massive scale , both of which sent tanks, military equipment and their own soldiers into this war.
At the end of the 1980s this conflict escalated again, finally the MPLA won the upper hand, but then changed from a communist to a social democratic party. The Soviet Union under Mikhail Gorbachev had long since severely reduced its commitment, but in the last phase of the war Cuba stepped up again. The conflict simmered with low intensity into the 2000s , with more of a rivalry over the country's economic resources, particularly oil and diamonds. In 2002, Jonas Savimbi , the longtime leader of UNITA, was killed in action, whereupon the war ended.
Ogades War in Ethiopia (1977–1978)
US-backed Somalia invaded Ethiopia in 1977 and occupied large parts of the Ogaden Desert. After failed diplomatic efforts by the USSR to reach a ceasefire, it was decided to deliver arms to the communist government of Ethiopia.
With the support of the Soviet Union and Cuba, the invasion was repelled and the status quo preserved.
Afghan War (1979-1989)
In December 1979, Soviet troops marched into Afghanistan to support the troubled communist government there. The Islamist forces ( mujahideen ) who fought against the Soviet occupation forces were supported by the USA , Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and partly also from Great Britain, but they officially did not intervene in the war.
The Soviet Union finally had to withdraw after a long, costly and costly guerrilla war . Because of the threat posed by the Islamic State to its own country, Russia had been supporting the Taliban, the then enemy of the Soviet Union, since 2015.
Syrian Civil War (since 2011)
Originally started in the course of the Arab Spring as protests against the rulers, the Syrian civil war is shaped by the action of various groups and foreign powers. The government of Bashar al-Assad is supported by Russia and Iran , while the US, Turkey and Saudi Arabia support various rebel groups.
Political scientists see the conflict as the crucial point in the future development of the spheres of influence of Iran and Saudi Arabia. The two states have long had hostile relations , which, like the conflict between the Soviet Union and the USA in the Cold War, are expressed only through indirect aggression.
Civil war in Yemen (since 2004 and 2015)
In the Houthi conflict, Shiite Houthi rebels are fighting against the government of the largely Sunni Yemen, which has been militarily supported by Saudi Arabia , which is also Sunni, since 2015 . The Houthi rebels are allegedly supported by the Saudi archenemy, Shiite Iran , making the Houthi conflict, like the Syrian civil war (see above), a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
See also
literature
- Bernd Greiner , Christian Th. Müller, Dierk Walter (ed.): Hot wars in the cold war . Hamburg 2006, ISBN 3-936096-61-9 .
- Robert Kneschke: Characteristics of the proxy conflicts of the Cold War , Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3638473637 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ The "Big Game" with the Taliban NZZ on April 14, 2017
- ↑ Military operation in Yemen: Saudi Arabia forges alliance against Iran. In: Spiegel Online . March 28, 2015, accessed May 1, 2016 .