Caught Between the Gang Wars of Cold War Economics

Abstract

Most immigrants will tell you of the horror stories surrounding their survival. The Cold War which was metaphorically a gang war between the United States of America and the Soviet Union caused many to suffer. Containing the spread of communism and promoting free market economies was the main goal for the United States. However, for the Soviets it was building an empire. Political leadership corruption, greed, the lack of labor and environmental laws developing and third world countries, workers were not afforded the protections of U.S. workers because of their comparative advantage. (Samuelson, 1969) Latin American countrymen were ignorant of the depth of politics and the need for economic sustainability that influenced their country. This left the citizens feeling exploited and antagonistic towards the United States. (Belli, 2011) However, geopolitical goals, corrupt leaders and public ignorance caused the citizens to choose the wrong side of the gang war that left them as casualties. They chose to side with the Soviet Union which was an enemy of the United States versus siding with the United States and petitioning congress about real concerns regarding their welfare. There is a saying about gang wars, “If you are not for us, then you are against us and when you side with our enemies you become our enemy.” Caught between the gang wars of the Cold War economics is the subject of this paper.