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38th Parallel
Line dividing North and South Korea after 1945, becoming the frontline of political tension.
August Revolution
Nationwide Viet Minh uprising that established Vietnamese independence in 1945.
Briggs Plan
A strategy to isolate guerrillas by relocating rural populations into protected New Villages.
Containment
US policy aiming to stop the spread of communism.
Decolonization
The process by which colonies gained independence from European powers after 1945.
Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV)
State proclaimed by Ho Chi Minh in 1945 after Japan’s surrender.
DMZ (Demilitarized Zone)
Heavily fortified buffer zone established by the armistice.
Domino Theory
US belief that the fall of one country to communism would trigger others to follow.
Guerrilla tactics
Strategy using mobility, ambush and knowledge of terrain against stronger forces.
Guerrilla Warfare
Strategy of irregular combat and mobility, central to Mao’s revolutionary tactics.
Ho Chi Minh Trail
Network of supply routes used by North Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia.
Inchon Landing
Surprise amphibious assault that reversed early UN losses.
ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence)
Pakistani intelligence agency coordinating support for the mujahedeen.
Juche
North Korean ideology emphasizing self-reliance and loyalty to Kim Il Sung.
Lon Nol
Military leader who overthrew Sihanouk in 1970, leading an unstable pro-American government.
Malayan Races Liberation Army
Military branch of the MCP leading guerrilla warfare during the Emergency.
Marxist-Leninism
Communist ideology combining class struggle with centralized revolutionary leadership.
MPAJA
Wartime anti-Japanese guerrilla force that became the foundation of the MCP’s armed wing.
Mujahedeen
Islamic fighters who resisted Soviet forces in Afghanistan.
National Liberation Front (NLF)
Coalition of anti-Diem forces commonly called the Viet Cong.
Neutrality
Sihanouk’s foreign policy attempt to avoid siding openly with the US or communists.
Operation Cyclone
US program supplying funds and weapons to Afghan resistance groups.
PDPA
Afghan communist party that took power in 1978 and requested Soviet assistance.
Proxy War
Conflict in which superpowers support different sides instead of fighting directly.