Colonial Rear Guards

1946 – 1988

The Cold War was instigated in the context of an evolving international system. As the world relinquished a multi-polar system comprised of polyglot empires, it replaced it with a bi-polar system dominated by continental nation states. Anti-colonial movements tended to have strong anti-western sentiments, as the foremost colonial powers were now in the western camp. However, the drive to independence was not uniform, nor uniformly successful. Several long rear-guard actions were fought by the colonial powers that either lengthened their stay or maintained a quasi-colonial relationship with the newly independent country. British intervention in Malaya (1948), the French resistance to Algerian independence (1954) and South African intransigence in Namibia (1966) all serve as examples of this aspect of the post colonial experience.

Time: Mid War
Side: US
Ops: 2
Removed after event: No

As USSR

Almost always worth spacing as the USSR, since it adds 4 influence to low-stability countries and you only have 2 influence with which to respond.  Along with Nuclear Subs, it can flip a USSR-controlled Africa to capitalism very quickly.

As US

Identical to and yet weaker than Decolonization, Colonial Rear Guards doesn’t usually come out fast enough to lock up Africa or Southeast Asia.  But it’s still a very strong event: it can be used as a destabilizing headline or AR7 play if the USSR controls Africa and Southeast Asia.  If I don’t have immediate use for it, I tend to hold it or use it for overprotection insurance influence rather than the 2 Ops.

Normally the influence from this will be dumped into Africa, since Southeast Asia should no longer be very contested.  But I usually put at least one into Thailand (to threaten a China Card takeover), and then perhaps some into Philippines / Malaysia / Indonesia if Southeast Asia will be scored soon and those countries are still uncontrolled.  But the influence usually goes much farther in the 1-stability African battlegrounds.