5 Cold War "Defeats into Victory"

I once wrote "America lost every battle of the Cold War, except the one that counted: the last". Here are 5 Conflicts during that 40+ year standoff in which some might have declared "the war is lost", but this wasn't the whole story:

1. Korea 1950-Much like the Iraq War 53 years later, this struggle began with a brilliant US military campaign that soon regressed into a seemingly endless war of attrition. On the positive side, the surprise North Korean and later Chinese invasions of the South shook America out of 2 centuries of isolation to stand firm against communist expansionism.
2. Suez 1956-When President Eisenhower balked at supporting Franco/British attempts to preempt Arab nationalism, these fading colonial powers swiftly retreated from the Middle East, placing the problem squarely in our laps to this day. Another front was opened in the Cold War, but democratic Israel swiftly became our staunchest ally in the region.
3. Cuban Missile Crisis 1962-One of the few that can be considered a clear-cut US victory, except that failure by the Soviets emboldened them to take the lead in the Arms Race, a competition in which we increasingly fell behind. Yet, the massive buildup would soon bankrupt the barely industrialized Russians, and spur the Americans to attempt creative measures to regain their superiority.
   
4. Tet 1968-This battlefield victory by US General Westmoreland was a morale destroyer at home, and ended in our complete withdrawal in a few years. Yet, the humiliating defeat impelled American soldiers and politicians to take strenuous efforts at ending the Cold War. Some failed (detente) and some succeeded wildly(rollback).
5. Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan 1979-In concert with the Iran Hostage Crisis, this was the nadir of the East/West standoff. Yet, it incited America and her allies to take a tougher stand with the communists in arms negotiations, rebuild their militaries, and push for democratic change behind the Iron Curtain.

Checkmate! Later of, course, came the final battle I mentioned, Operation Desert Storm in 1991. I consider this the last battle of the Cold War because it was won with late Cold War tactics by the US, against the traditional Russian style defenses of the Iraqi's. It can also be considered the first battle of the War on Terror.