How did the policy of deterrence influence US actions during the cold war?

The Cuban Missile Crisis is the best example of American foreign policy of deterrence during the Cold War. As Russia was shipping nuclear arms to Cuba, America was utilizing its nuclear war resources in Turkey as a deterrent for continued action. By the Crisis' climax, American nuclear warheads were pointed at Russia via Turkey and Russian nuclear warheads were pointed at America via Cuba. Both sides brought each other to the brink of nuclear Holocaust (a policy known as Brinkmanship) and decided that it was in their own self-interest to avoid such a disaster (a stabilizing force in international relations known as Mutually Assured Destruction, or MAD) and an agreement was made to settle the international drama. American foreign policy during the cold war was very aggressive, and acted as a watchdog to deter the spread of Soviet Communism, also seen in international conflicts such as the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and actions taken in South America against communist rebels.