Unlike the battle against the Axis, the US fought the Cold War in many ways, on many fronts, and over many decades – using politics, economics, and nuclear deterrence, as well as limited armed action, to ensure the USSR’s containment. In time, the US had to accept that each political contest or military battle lost was not a watershed as long as its core interests in Europe, the Far East, and Latin America were not threatened.
与对轴心国的战争不同，美国在冷战上采取了多种战术、全面开花，并持续了几十年之久——使用了政治、经济以及核威慑，也使用了有限武力，以保证对苏联的遏制。美国必须及时接受这样一个概念：任何政治和军事战争的失利都不是分水岭，只要其在欧洲、远东和拉美的核心利益不受损失。