Die drei Welten des Kalten Krieges zwischen dem 30. April und dem 24. Juni 1975

Notes: All of the countries in green (plus the ones in cyan and light red) were part of the Non-Aligned Movement at that time besides the ones in Europe (minus Yugoslavia), Guyana, Fiji, Albania and China. Althought Argentina and Chile were also part of the NAM during that time, not only were they part of the Rio Pact but also were under Western-backed, anti-communist dictatorships. Althought Peru was also part of both the NAM and the Rio Pact, its dictator was against the US and maintaned close ties to the USSR.

Cuba, Congo, Ethiopia, North Korea, Somalia and South Yemen were also part of the NAM but they had Marxist-Leninist governments with close ties to the Soviet Union. Mongolia, Guinea-Bissau and Vietnam weren’t in the NAM either so that’s why they’re outright colored red.

Albania, China and Kampuchea were governed by Marxist-Leninist governments which however were against the Soviet Union and its satellite states, which is why they are part of the Third World, althought during this time China was starting to have close ties with the US, which means I could’ve colored it light blue althought it was also a bit complicated, since Kampuchea also had close ties to China but at the same time was against the US, althought this would change after 1979.

Romania’s case is similar to Peru, being part of a military pact with one of the superpowers (this time the USSR), but it had an independent foreign policy unlike the other Warsaw Pact members, and it was mainly neutrality, althought it would sometimes lean to the West, it wasn’t part of the Non-Aligned Movement however. Since I thought it would be tricky, I decided to just keep Romania as part of the Second World.

EDIT: Forgot to add Equatorial Guinea, it had close ties with the Soviet Union from 1968 to 1979 while under the dictatorship of Francisco Macias Nguema. Also forgot to color Comoros which during that time was a French colony so it would’ve been blue.

Finland, Guyana and Jamaica should maybe be colored light red while The Bahamas, Fiji and Ireland should be light blue. Morocco maybe could be light blue too.

No wonder there was detante, the soviets were at a severe disadvantage.

Switzerland is third world?

I grew up in the Cold War and first second third world meant standard of living more than political alignment.

Didn’t it?

Because Mexico was definitely second world

It’s funny to see Pakistan be first world while Sweden is third world 

Iran should be light blue.

While the Pahlavi regime was aligned with the West, he had significant contact with the USSR, to the point that the US was getting increasingly fed up with him trying to flirt with both sides. Now de-classified US state department memorandums recount (time period 73-76 https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1969-76v27)

„The Embassy conveyed the substance of the April 11 Khalatbari–Helms conversation in telegram 2367 from Tehran, April 12. (Ibid., RG 59, Central Foreign Policy Files) In an April 13 memorandum to Miklos and Rouse, Michaud speculated that “the Shah was not as tough with Kosygin as he would have us believe,” adding: “I suggest that we take the Shah’s statements on Iran’s attitude toward the Soviet Union with a considerable grain of salt. He continues to make anti-Soviet noises to us to reassure us at the same time that he continues to improve relations with the USSR.” (Ibid., NEA/IRN Files: Lot 76D169, Box 8, 1973, POL)“

„E. The Shah is likely to grow increasingly assertive in his foreign policies. He would risk confrontation with the Arabs, the West, or even the Soviet Union in order to assert Persian primacy in the Gulf or to maintain what he considers a sufficiently high level of oil revenues. Although he will remain suspicious of Soviet intentions and will continue to rely on the US as the ultimate deterrent to the USSR, the Shah believes he has taken out insurance in the form of economic and political ties and that he can deal effectively with the Soviet Union on his own under foreseeable circumstances.“

„G. US-Iranian relations are likely to become more difficult in coming years. The Shah is seeking to remove both the US and Soviet military presence from the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean and to establish his own regional collective security arrangements in the Gulf; while he will tacitly approve of US naval operations in these waters as long as the USSR keeps naval vessels on station there, we cannot depend on him to provide access to Iranian facilities to support fleet units, and he will probably use his influence to end our use of Bahrein.“

„50. Basing his foreign policy on a historical perspective, the Shah is acutely conscious of the contrast between past Persian glory and present Iranian reality. He sees Iran confronted by an untrustworthy Soviet Union, while he sees the remote bastions of Western power in a state of disarray and decay. Although he would count on US support in a confrontation with the USSR, he has taken out insurance in the form of economic and political ties with the Soviet Union and does not feel himself directly threatened from that quarter. Massive oil revenues give him confidence that he will be able to secure whatever military and industrial equipment he considers necessary.“

„51. He would accept confrontation with the Arabs, the US, or even the Soviet Union if necessary to assert Persian primacy in the Gulf or to maintain what he considers a sufficiently high level of oil revenues; in other matters and areas he is likely to be more cautious. The Shah’s past behavior has reflected a relatively realistic appreciation of Iran’s capabilities and of the interplay between regional and international power. But as he grows older and more convinced of the soundness of his own judgment and as Iran’s military strength increases, he is likely to take greater risks to achieve his ambitions.“

„As you are aware, the Iranians recently signed an arms agreement with the Soviet Union which went beyond the levels of arms purchases that they have made in the past from the USSR. This new “opening to Moscow” must be seen in the context of the Shah’s perceptions of his relationship with the US and the overall trend of those relations over the next few years. The Shah has become increasingly upset by what he sees as a growing challenge in this country to the close bilateral relationship between the United States and Iran. Over the past few months, this sensitivity has been reflected in his public comments, his conversations with Ambassador Helms and the Station Chief in Tehran, and in the tenor of his instructions and queries to Ambassador Zahedi. His dissatisfaction is the result of a series of essentially unrelated but mutually reinforcing issues…“

Why is Angola blue?