proxy war
Indirect superpower conflict
A proxy war is an armed conflict where major powers support opposing sides without fighting each other directly.
During the Cold War, the United States and Soviet Union backed rival factions in conflicts across Africa, Asia, and Latin America rather than risk direct confrontation: The Korean War was essentially a proxy war between superpowers.
The term implies that local combatants serve larger geopolitical interests.
Armed uprising against authority
- guerrilla warfareIrregular combat using ambushes
- rebellionDefiance of established power
- asymmetric warfareCombat between unequal opponents
- casualtiesThose killed or wounded
collateral damage · warzone · humanitarian crisis · refugee crisis · occupation · resistance · frontline · attrition
Dominant group's control
- sphere of influenceZone of dominant authority
- regional rivalryCompetition between nearby areas
- regime changeReplacement of governing power
- territorial disputeConflict over land boundaries
sanctions · embargo · diplomatic pressure · escalation · stalemate · buffer state · balance of power · multipolar
Contest between dominant nations
- Iron CurtainCold War's political divide
- NATOWestern defense organization
- Warsaw PactSoviet-led military alliance
- containmentPreventing hostile expansion
domino theory · spheres of influence · Berlin Wall · Cuban Missile Crisis · arms race · CIA · KGB · détente
Nominally sovereign, actually controlled
- military advisorsExperts counseling armed forces
- deniabilityAbility to deny involvement
- non-state actorsEntities lacking governmental authority
- mercenariesSoldiers paid to fight
foreign fighters · clandestine operations · client state · plausible deniability · training camps · intelligence sharing · logistics support
Southwestern Arabian Peninsula republic
- SyriaLevant country, capital Damascus
- LibyaNorth African country
- UkraineEastern European sovereign state
- cyber warfareAttacks via computer networks
hybrid warfare · information warfare · disinformation · economic warfare · drone strikes · private military contractors · Wagner Group · Donbas
insurgency
Armed uprising against authority
- guerrilla warfareIrregular combat using ambushes
- rebellionDefiance of established power
- asymmetric warfareCombat between unequal opponents
casualties · collateral damage · warzone · humanitarian crisis · refugee crisis · occupation · resistance · frontline · attrition · displacement
hegemony
Dominant group's control
- sphere of influenceZone of dominant authority
- regional rivalryCompetition between nearby areas
- regime changeReplacement of governing power
territorial dispute · sanctions · embargo · diplomatic pressure · escalation · stalemate · buffer state · balance of power · multipolar · unipolar
superpower rivalry
Contest between dominant nations
- Iron CurtainCold War's political divide
- NATOWestern defense organization
- Warsaw PactSoviet-led military alliance
containment · domino theory · spheres of influence · Berlin Wall · Cuban Missile Crisis · arms race · CIA · KGB · détente · nonalignment
puppet state
Nominally sovereign, actually controlled
- military advisorsExperts counseling armed forces
- deniabilityAbility to deny involvement
- non-state actorsEntities lacking governmental authority
mercenaries · foreign fighters · clandestine operations · client state · plausible deniability · training camps · intelligence sharing · logistics support
Yemen
Southwestern Arabian Peninsula republic
- SyriaLevant country, capital Damascus
- LibyaNorth African country
- UkraineEastern European sovereign state
cyber warfare · hybrid warfare · information warfare · disinformation · economic warfare · drone strikes · private military contractors · Wagner Group · Donbas · Hezbollah
- foreign policydiplomacy, diplomatic negotiations, sanctions, containment, deterrence
- conflictclash, fight, battle, dispute, feud
- Middle EastIraq, Baghdad, Cairo, Iran, Jordan
- WarsWWI
- Cold WarBerlin Wall, Iron Curtain, arms race, Warsaw Pact, Cuban Missile Crisis
- geopoliticsbalance of power, bipolarity, bloc, blocs, brinkmanship
proxy warconventional war
Armed conflict between states
declared war · total war · boots on the ground · hot war · conventional warfare
proxy warpeace
Freedom from disturbance
diplomacy · détente · negotiated settlement · alliance · rapprochement
war, proxy, wars, approximate, proximate, proxies, proxy wars