Proxy wars were used by the United States and Soviet Union as a way to fight one another without resorting to actual war between the two nations. The United States tried to use proxy wars to contain communism, as they did in Guatemala by sponsoring a coup. The USSR engaged in a proxy war by supporting communist rebels in Nicaragua. Both nations used this strategy to promote their own influence and security.
The United States and the USSR were the lone remaining superpowers left after World War II.
As a result, they viewed proxy wars much like a chess player viewed moving a pawn. If they could get a strategic advantage in Algeria or El Salvador or Cuba, they would take it and lord it over the losing superpower.
It was "The Odd Couple" that made a farce of traditional family life since it broke away from the stereotypical TV family to show more of the dysfunctional side of the family dynamic in the US.
