U.S.-Soviet Détente and the Future of U.S.-China Relations (opens in new tab)

In the early 1960s, the United States and the Soviet Union passed through a period of intense rivalry. The Soviets built the Berlin Wall. A nuclear war almost broke out over Soviet plans to deploy missiles to Cuba. But surprisingly, within a few years relations started to thaw. President Richard Nixon, although a devout anti-communist, announced in his 1969 inaugural address: “After a period of confrontation, we are entering an era of negotiation.” By the end of Nixon’s first term in office, ...