What war did the US and the Soviet Union engage in without going to actual war?
1 Answer
There are a number of examples.
Explanation:
During the Cold War many conflicts involved, indirectly the USA and Soviet Union in opposite sides, namely war by proxy.
The two most famous examples would be the wars between North and South Korea in the 50's (although Soviet support was mainly political) and even more so the Vietnam war in the 60's and 70's.
However the two countries were involved in wars in Africa. One of the most bizarre was the conflict between Ethiopia and Somalia in the 70's. This was important as it gave the superpowers access to ports on the main oil shipping lanes from the Persian Gulf.
Initially the Americans backed the absolute monarchy of Haile Selasse in Ethiopia and the Soviets backed Somalia. However after a military coup in Ethiopia they switched allegiance to the Soviets and the Somalians switched to the Americans. Such was the cynicism of Cold War realpolitik.
A final example would be the civil war in Angola with the Soviets supporting the MPLA and the Americans the FNLA.
