A cold war is a state of political tension between two nations without actual warfare. The conflict is usually fought through political, economic, and propaganda tactics to gain an advantage over the other.
On the other hand, a proxy war is a conflict between two or more countries where they use third-party groups as substitutes for fighting each other directly. The third-party groups are usually armed and trained by the countries involved in the conflict. The countries involved in the conflict provide support to the third-party groups, such as weapons, money, and training.
The main difference between a cold war and a proxy war is that in a cold war, nations engage in political, economic, and propaganda tactics to gain an advantage over the other, while in a proxy war, nations use third-party groups to fight on their behalf.
The Cold War was a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc, between 1945 and 1991. The term “cold war” is used because there was no large-scale fighting directly between the two superpowers, but they each supported opposing sides in major regional conflicts known as proxy wars.
- Korean War (1950-1953): The conflict between North Korea and South Korea was a proxy war between the United States and the Soviet Union.
- Vietnam War (1955-1975): The Vietnam War was a proxy war between the United States and the Soviet Union.
- Afghan War (1979-1989): The Afghan War was a proxy war between the United States and the Soviet Union2.
- Angolan Civil War (1975-2002): The Angolan Civil War was a proxy war between the United States and the Soviet Union2.
- Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988): The Iran-Iraq War was a proxy war between the United States and the Soviet Union.