What was the primary concern of the United States during the Cold War?

The primary concern of the United States during the Cold War was communism. This ideological battle was marked by the U.S. striving to contain the spread of communism, particularly as it was represented by the Soviet Union and its allied states. The U.S. feared that the spread of communism would undermine democratic systems and capitalist economies around the world, leading to a global shift towards authoritarian regimes aligned with Soviet interests.

Throughout the Cold War, this apprehension manifested in various forms, including military interventions, the establishment of alliances like NATO, and engagement in proxy wars to support governments resisting communist influence. The U.S. adopted strategies such as containment and deterrence to address this perceived threat, which was characterized by conflicts in places like Korea and Vietnam and a significant arms race.

The options regarding racism, nationalism, and globalization were indeed relevant issues during the Cold War period but were not the central focus of U.S. foreign policy at that time. While these factors influenced domestic affairs and other global contexts, they did not encapsulate the overarching geopolitical tension that defined U.S. actions on the world stage during the Cold War, which was centered on countering the threat posed by communism.